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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27350851">Love the Stars themselves</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/morgansoul/pseuds/morgansoul'>morgansoul</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst with a Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Married ! Tissaia, Modern AU, Physical Abuse, Slow Burn, Teacher Tissaia de Vries, Teacher Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Useless Lesbians, lots of references, mentioned sexual abuse, mentions of abuse, university teacher ! Tissaia, university teacher ! Yennefer</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 01:46:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>171,622</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27350851</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/morgansoul/pseuds/morgansoul</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Yennefer has just started her first year as the assistant and apprentice of one of the most outstanding professors at Thanedd University and an incredible doctor, unable to practice as a doctor herself. However, it is often impossible to separate work and private life and, to her surprise, the lives of the university teachers are a complete chaos.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Minor Geralt/Jaskier, Minor Rita/Philippa, Minor Sabrina/Triss, Tissaia de Vries/Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>182</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>139</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Stars</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I had this AU on my head and I needed to take it out. I hope this doesn't mess with my writting of Everything, but hopefully I'll manage with both, if my own university allows me.</p><p>I really hope you enjoy this story, but whether you like it or no, please feel free to let a comment or kuddo to let me know. I am also curious to see if you can predict half of the things I have planned for this one *insert a devil smile here*</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was almost eight o'clock in the morning and she still had to cross the entire campus to the medicine teacher’s building... She wasn't going to make it in time.</p><p>Thanedd University's science campus was much larger than Yennefer remembered —probably because when she was studying there she stayed in the students residence and didn't have to travel from the city to there— so her calculations of how long it would have taken her to get there were quite wrong. Some students were heading to the buildings where their classes would begin within a few minutes, still somewhat stunned by the sleep and nerves of the first day.</p><p>The scientific complex consisted of three auditoriums around the central gardens to host conferences; two fairly large buildings for classes one in the south, one in the west; a third building, north, for biological sciences teachers, another, northeast, for physical and technological sciences; one much larger than those intended for classes, contained the residence of students at the east side; and another –the size of a block of flats – was the residence of some teachers. Like Yennefer's new boss.</p><p>In one last sprint, the brunette reached the northern building. She stopped in front of the glass door, bending in half and resting her hands on her own thighs as she regained her breath. It was 7:58, so technically she wasn't late yet, was it?</p><p>Without wanting to lose another second, Yennefer walked away and entered the place, before looking around for a ladder or elevator to take her to the third floor. She had to go to office 304 in less than two minutes, so she was better off rushing to do it, even though the ground floor of that place seemed empty. Once the elevator door was located, she ran to it and repeatedly pressed the button to get it down to that floor, as if she was going to get it done faster. However, when the doors opened to give her access to the insides, she did not have time to enter.</p><p>Leaning against the back wall was one of the prettiest women Yennefer had ever seen in her life, as well as one of the reasons she had spent quite a few classes distracted. Everyone knew that the teacher in front of her had one of the most enviable beauties in the whole university, had it passed a year or ten. The problem was that now, that same person was Yennefer's boss, so it was best not to think about that kind of things too much, she didn't want to have to deal with the students who declared their love to her every year as punishment for pretending her.</p><p>Black suit trousers, emerald green shirt, loose, but with a suggestive neckline, black jacket matching the trousers and heels of the same color. Perhaps it was the absence of color in her garments, except for the shirt, that made the strands of golden hair, her blue eyes and her red lips stand that much out in contrast; or perhaps it was simply, again, the enviable beauty of the woman in front of her.</p><p> </p><p>"Yennefer Vengerberg, blessed are the eyes," sarcasm was evident, as the woman separated from the wall and walked out, gesturing with her head to Yennefer so she followed her. "Come on, it's late".</p><p> </p><p>"I'm really sorry, Margarita, it’s the first day and there was a lot more traffic than yesterday and it was horrible to get here," the brunette rushed to follow the older woman out of the building and to one of the classes.</p><p> </p><p>"I'll let it go if you promise me it won't happen again," the woman sighed, speeding up the pace.</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer had always considered Margarita too good, something she seemed to keep even to those who were no longer his students.</p><p> </p><p>"I promise, professor".</p><p> </p><p>"Great, next step, call me just Rita," a broad smile now adorned the lips of the woman, who kept the building door open for Yennefer to enter. "We're co-workers now, so I don't see why we couldn't be friends and leave all the formalities behind".</p><p> </p><p>"Understood, Rita," the shorter name sounded strange, but it was quite nice and only made her feel much better received.</p><p> </p><p>"First days’ classes will be shorter so we explain how the subjects will go, sure you remember. Today  we have Medical Physiology with second year and Bases of Clinical Surgery with third, tomorrow Medicine and Surgery with the fourth and fifth year, we’ll get clinical," Yennefer was nodding to everything the blonde listed, but had to laugh at the pun; if the same teacher taught four of the most complex and heavy subjects of the career, it was normal the needed of an assistant to lend a hand with corrections and the organization of classes. "I’d have given you the schedules, but I left them in my office, I guess after classes we can come back, so I'll show you your desk".</p><p> </p><p>"Am I going to have a desk? "</p><p> </p><p>Maybe Yennefer's priorities weren't the most common ones, but how bad it could be? She hadn't expected to have her own space inside the woman's office, or to have it at all. The only answer she got was a grin from the teacher, before they both entered the class.</p><p>The room was composed of a slate with a table and chair in front of it, a slightly sloping upwards floor, in which there were rows of seats with a small table in front of them so the students could lean and take notes, and at least a hundred students excited and speaking at a much higher volume than recommended by doctors.</p><p>Margarita winked at the dark-haired, gave her briefcase and purse, and approached the desk in front of the slate, where she took a seat, crossed legs, and palms resting on her surface. She cleared her throat once, but seeing that it was not working, she slowly took air, looked at the ceiling only once, as if asking some god for strength, and raised her voice.</p><p> </p><p>"Good morning, class, pop quiz," that was enough for the first students to start spinning and paying attention to her.</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer was not sure if that reaction was exactly what Rita was looking for, but within seconds, after a few exclamations and whispered comments, everyone present was sitting and staring at the blonde. Despite the fear that a surprise test provoked in the students, it was fascinating that more than half were too captivated by the appearance of their teacher to care too much about it.</p><p>In fact, if her mind wasn’t wrong, the same thing happened to her own class the first time Rita showed up on it, threatening them with an exam. However, the brunette did not remember taking a single test like that throughout the career, so she knew that the woman was just bluffing to get the attention of her students. A minute later, the blonde said that was the main reason, raising sighs of relief and causing more than one person to smile.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>As Margarita had said, the two classes of that day lasted little more than one hour each —the woman made a brief summary of the contents and teaching method, the structure of the classes, the evaluation, and the readings that students would have to do for the next class— leaving the two of them plenty of free time between classes to return to the office, fill out the paperwork they had pending, and finish clearing some details about what Yennefer would have to do during that course, as Rita's assistant.</p><p>There was still an hour to go before the meal break and, although the classes had been brief, the brunette had the feeling that she hadn't stopped working all morning. Her desk was on the side of the blonde’s office, placed perpendicular to hers —which was in front of the door and had the window behind it— and was already up to the top of messy papers. The woman had told her that she would not get into how she organized her things, as long as that would not be a problem when it came to perform well.</p><p>Yennefer had been enphrased in reading an article, the same one that the freshmen will have to have studied for their next class, when the gentle blow of a cup on her desk startled her. In front of her was a black cup with smoldering liquid and right in front was Margarita, looking at her with another cup in her hands and a raised eyebrow, possibly because the brunette had just frowned, annoyed by the interruption.</p><p> </p><p>"You should take it easy," she sat in the chair in front of Yennefer's desk, and took her cup to her lips for a sip.</p><p> </p><p>"The first day is enough to screw up..." Protested the younger.</p><p> </p><p>"You talk like my ex," Rita laughed, "but a cup of tea isn't going to kill you. Anyway, I wanted to ask you some personal questions, if you don't mind. I wasn't allowed at the interview".</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer's body was strained in a reflex act, as she was not especially good at sharing her personal life with anyone outside her nearest circle, but she nodded and took the cup which, she deduced, was for her. At the time she was grateful to have brought her favorite hoodie, as she was sure that not even the long-sleeved shirt she wore under her would be enough to hide the scars on her arms.</p><p> </p><p>"Why are you here? I mean, I know that half my students' dream is to be staring at me all day," she accompanied the joke with a wink, "but I also know how attractive the idea of working in a hospital is and I know very few people who would prioritize teaching rather than doing it".</p><p> </p><p>"Like you?"</p><p> </p><p>"Like me," she nodded, "but you are very different from me, I can see it in your eyes".</p><p> </p><p>"It's complicated," she sighed, gave her tea a sip, and then looked at the teacher's blue eyes again, "they told me I could no longer exercise, because my first day I broke a patient's husband's arm and nose. He had beaten her so badly that it was hard to recognize her, and my emotions consumed me. So, they kicked me out and told me I couldn't come back, because nobody would want me, as long as I…" Yennefer frowned when she saw the other woman laughing, "why are you laughing?"</p><p> </p><p>"Because I was wrong, you're exactly like me. I take back what I said before," seeing that the dark-haired raised her eyebrows with clear confusion, she quickly clarified, "I chose to teach rather than exercise, but I once punched a man harder enough to get him a reminding scar. I got suspended for a week because he was a college professor, but to hell with that, it was worth it".</p><p> </p><p>"You had a real fight with a teacher? Why?"</p><p> </p><p>"Heaven, by now, I've had my adventures," a new wink and a humorous tone, enough to disguise the seriousness of the words that followed, "let's say he did something he shouldn't have done and he’ll be screwed if I find out he did it a second time".</p><p> </p><p>"That answer only makes me have more questions".</p><p> </p><p>"And I’ll ask you to keep them to you, I'd rather not talk about it," after giving another sip to the tea, something vibrated on the table. Margarita looked at her phone, located on Yennefer's desk, where the youngest could see at least two missed calls. "Shit, I gotta go, I'm meeting someone at lunch and if I don't go out now, I'll be late. Do you mind picking up and closing?"</p><p> </p><p>Rita didn't wait for confirmation. She left the keys on the desk, took her purse, her jacket and left as spontaneously as she had come.</p><p>With a dramatic sigh, Yennefer stood up to walk around the office as she finished drinking her cup of tea. At some point, she ended up approaching the window and resting a shoulder against the window frame, as her eyes danced on the landscape on the other side. Unfortunately, Rita's office overlooked the outside of the campus, so her views were little more than a small park at the back of the building and Tor Lara —a university-owned forest, where some practicum classes were taking place at the day and the fraternities unleashed their full potential at night— so there were few things that could draw her attention, while the rain that was beginning to only made it more difficult to look at the surroundings.</p><p>Perhaps it was the lack of other details that caught her attention that caused Yennefer's gaze to be drawn to one of the park's less accessible benches, where a woman was sitting and bent over herself, trembling as if she were dying of pain. The brunette didn't think twice, she left the cup on the desk, grabbed her bag, an umbrella and the keys. She closed the door behind her and ran out to the ground floor.</p><p>It took her about a couple of minutes to reach the door and one more to open the umbrella and walk from there to the bench she had spotted, as from that height it was much harder to find than from the window. As she approached, many of the details she had overlooked because of distance, appeared in Yennefer's view.</p><p>Two carton glasses of take away coffee lying on the floor, with much of its contents emptied on the lawn; the concealed pattern of movement that had the body of the woman on the bench; the way she pressed the heels of her hands against her eyes and how some tears escaped anyway and rolled through her hands, mixing with raindrops; how the white cloth covering her torso looked increasingly wet by rain;  the  way several brown locks escaped what appeared to have been a tight bun at some point in the  morning; and—when Yennefer surrounded the bench and looked at her in a different angle—, the great stain of coffee on the woman's white shirt. The dark-haired sat on the bench, close enough to the woman to cover her with the umbrella, and she waited at least another minute before speaking.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm sure whoever the asshole is, they don't deserve a single thought from you," Yennefer turned her head to look at the woman, who had become completely static. She kept talking, anyway, hating silences. "As hard as you strive to hide your pretty face, I bet all my salary that you're beautiful and, as someone once told me, there's nothing uglier than a beautiful girl crying," Yennefer sounded completely sure of her words and, although she said them only to comfort the stranger, when she raised her head and looked at her violet eyes, the young woman was sure that she had never been more right and wrong at the same time in her life.</p><p> </p><p>The woman, under forties, had beautiful blue eyes of a light-changing hue, depending on the light, but which were now tarnished by tears that she refused to drop by sheer stubbornness. Her facial features were worthy of a whole subject in the arts career, due to the perfection of her defined jaw, elongated chin, though somewhat square, thin lips and long neck; unfortunately not an inch of skin beyond the round neck of the shirt was at sight. Accompanying the white shirt was an emerald green pencil skirt, in which the top garment was tucked in, and heels of the same color.</p><p>Undoubtedly, that stranger was the most beautiful woman Yennefer had ever seen in her entire life, and she had just seen Margarita a few minutes ago, so that was saying a lot. Yet, the brunette's mistake was in paraphrasing someone from her past and saying there was nothing uglier than a beautiful woman crying. That woman was the prettiest thing she'd ever seen in her whole life even crying and covered by rain and coffee, what was she supposed to be like in her best, then?</p><p> </p><p>"I’ll only say that, calling someone ugly is not the best way to say good morning, and we are not goldfishes, are we?" The sharp, stern voice of chestnut caused Yennefer to shut her mouth, which she did not know was open until that moment —she wouldn’t be surprised if her jaw reached the floor, though. The piercing blue orbs looked her directly into her eyes, causing her to stop breathing unconsciously; she could hear that woman talking for hours and wouldn't move a single muscle from her body if she wasn’t reminded of it.</p><p> </p><p>"In fact, I meant the exact opposite, you see," Yennefer cleared her throat and reminded herself to breathe. She regained her usual grin and held the woman's gaze, enough to see how the color spread through her cheeks, "I think you're the first woman I see that even crying would leave the stars in a bad position".</p><p> </p><p>"Let's say I assume you're trying to say that the stars are pretty," this time, the woman was quick to formulate an answer, even though her tone was one octave above the previous one, "which is quite incorrect, because they are little more than spheroid and luminous masses of plasma, why would you compare them to the appearance of a stranger?"</p><p> </p><p>"Perhaps because I'm trying to flirt with that stranger," she smiled, overlooking any other detail other than the new color of a woman's face, "or perhaps because I just like to appreciate beauty when I see it ".</p><p> </p><p>A stream of air changed the direction in which the rain fell, causing the chestnut to come back to its mercy for a few seconds, before hugging herself in search of a little more heat. She was shaking again and it was now that she was snuffled on her own body, that Yennefer realized how small and vulnerable she seemed, despite the poised presence she imposed as soon as she spoke or looked her in the eye.</p><p> </p><p>"But one way or another, what I've said before was true, whoever it is," she bowed her head to the two glasses of coffee on the floor, "they don't deserve a single thought from you".</p><p> </p><p>The chestnut rolled her eyes, but was unable to hold Yennefer's gaze any longer, as if she had just discovered the secret of an evil plan to dominate the world. After all, the way she was analyzing all her reactions could show her much more than a normal observation would allow. Yes, perhaps she should stop staring at that woman, because the more she did, the more she repaired in the elegant position she kept even curved on herself, in the suggestive way in which the shirt fabric glued to her body, highlighting all her curves and shedding what appeared to be a black lace bra... She definitely needed to stop staring. Right now.</p><p>With difficulty and her own cheeks burning, Yennefer turned her gaze to the front and began moving before being fully aware of what she was doing. The rain was calming down, but she'd be a horrible suitor if she was willing to let that woman get sick from wearing wet clothes with that suddenly freezing weather. Holding the umbrella with her legs, she took off her hoodie, keeping her black long-sleeved shirt under it. The temperature difference created by the lack of the other garment was remarkable, but nothing she could not deal with without problem. Quietly, she offered the hoodie to the woman, who was not even looking at her at the time.</p><p>The chestnut turned to say something, and she came across the garment, that smelled of gooseberries and lilac, at the height of his nose. Curiously, she changed her look from the cloth to the young woman, raising an eyebrow as the only answer. Yennefer had not seen anything so gracefully sexy up to that point in her life, and she had seen many things in those twenty-eight years, so she had to make a huge effort to focus and explain herself.</p><p> </p><p>"You're going to catch pneumonia if you go around wet all day," she winked an eye, pursing her lips into a smirk.</p><p> </p><p>"You're incredible," she replied sarcastically to the hint and rolled her eyes, but after a few seconds of thinking about it, she ended up accepting the offer. She extended her left hand to pick up the hoodie, allowing Yennefer to see a detail she had previously overlooked: a golden ring on her ring finger, meaning that the chestnut was married. The woman kept her eyes fixed on the garment, while placing it on her lap for a moment. "But if it's any consolation, without a bacteria or virus in between, I can't catch pneumonia, just get a cold".</p><p> </p><p>Swallowing saliva nervously, Yennefer nodded and turned her head to the opposite side. She could not believe the terrible bad luck she had, for as soon as she met the most beautiful woman on the planet, she discovered that she was married and that all her flirtation attempts were being completely useless. Clearly a woman like that had to be married and with a long line of suitors behind her, but a small part of the brunette had hoped that the universe had decided to help her for the first time in her life.</p><p>As if that weren't enough, the woman was not only pretty and had rather witty answers to her flirting attempts, but also possessed enough knowledge to correct her when she had made a mistake and had chosen to use a saying, rather than the sentence scientifically correct for that case. Why couldn't she be single and, if possible, not straight?</p><p>Yennefer jumped when a cold hand briefly perched on her forearm, drawing her attention. When she turned to the chestnut, her mouth went dry for the image in front of her seemed incredibly adorable as well as sexy. If the woman had previously looked like a goddess to her, now that she was wearing her hoodie —grey and at least three or four sizes above the shirt the female was wearing before and now was folded on her lap— and had a raised eyebrow again. The brunette was sure she would die of a heart attack at that very moment. The blue eyes again kept a direct contact with the violet ones, causing the heat to re-seize the younger woman's body. With a small smile betraying her, Yennefer cleared her throat on search of the best way to ask her, at least, what her name was; but she was interrupted when a soft melody began to sound on the woman's lap. The melody clearly came from a phone from which only the black holster was visible, adorned solely by the white drawing of some stars and what looked like an astronaut swinging on the moon.</p><p>Yennefer hid a small smile when she assumed that she had been brilliant with the line about the stars, while the chestnut picked up the phone and, with an apologetical expression, accepted the call and approached the device to her ear. After a few seconds of silence, surely listening to the person on the other side, the woman began to answer, sounding really sorry.</p><p> </p><p>"I swear I haven't forgotten, love, it's just that I've had a problem and..." A new silence and the woman nodded, before she realized she needed a verbal answer, "all right, I'll see you there in twenty minutes," with a sigh, she hung up and left her cell phone on her lap again.</p><p> </p><p>The rain had stopped, so it was the perfect time to stand up. Yennefer pushed the umbrella to one side and closed it, in an attempt to avoid staring at how the female would rise and accommodate the hoodie, which reached half a thigh, so it stopped half her butt. Surely, the woman would look even sexier if she were only wearing the hoodie, and there was nothing in Yennefer's mind that could send that thought to the background and force her to focus.</p><p> </p><p>"I have to go, I'm too late, and..." The following words seemed difficult for the older to pronounce, but she still managed to put them pass her throat, "it was a nice gesture from you, I promise to give you back this… Thing as soon as possible".</p><p> </p><p>Without giving Yennefer a chance to respond, <em>the world's prettiest woman</em> walked away heading to one of the park’s exits and disappeared, leaving a stunned Yennefer behind.</p><p>The brunette, still sitting on the bench, decided to suppress her urge to follow her, possibly influenced by the ring she had previously noticed on the female’s finger. Had it been any other situation, she would have run to her to ask for her phone, or at least her name, with the excuse that it would make it easier for her to return the hoodie. But any logical thought was overshadowed by the image of a tight black pencil skirt framing a perfect ass, partially hidden by the top garment, that was suddenly engraved in her mind.</p><p>Yennefer had no doubt of the kind of dreams she would have from now on with that fresh memory in his memory. And yet, she still wanted to ask the woman if it was the first time she actually saw a hoodie, so she didn’t even know how to name it.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Hands</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I have like 3 more chapters already written, waiting to be translate. I am really happy that you liked the first chapter and, despite you won't find answers here (not yet, at least), you'll get some information about who knows who.</p><p>I hope you enjoy the chapter. Feel welcome to tell me anything in the comments! All mistakes on my own.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"I'm home!" Yennefer shouted, closing the door behind him.</p><p> </p><p>"We're in the salt -- Ugh! Yen! They're snogging in my face again!"</p><p> </p><p>Letting out a little laugh, the brunette left the umbrella at the door and walked into the living room, hoping to rescue her best friend from a situation surely unpleasant for either of them. Since they had started dating, Jaskier and Geralt were worse than two teenagers, unable to stay away from each other for too long, but considering that Jaskier, Sabrina and Yennefer were flat mates, they had no choice but to put up with those things.</p><p>The brunette put her bag aside and headed to the sofa, where Sabrina had been left alone, dropping beside her and circled her shoulders with one arm. The blond-haired, hazel-eyed girl wore a short-sleeved T-shirt and sports pants, so surely, she had just come home from the gym. Jaskier, brown hair, tight jeans blue eyes and orange shirt, surely of some expensive brand, sat on her boyfriend, Geralt, who had white hair and amber eyes, and wore black pants, matching her black shirt.</p><p>When Yennefer stopped to think about the kind of people she had ended up surrounding herself with, one of the first ideas that came to her mind was the fact that each and every one of them had some unusual mutation, whether it was the eye color of the five of them, Geralt's hair, the whole existence of Jaskier, Triss's freckles —she was Sabrina's girlfriend—, wait, where was Triss?</p><p>With a frown, the brunette looked around in search of the elder woman, finally resting her eyes on the one next to her as she did not see her.</p><p> </p><p>"Where's your girlfriend?"</p><p> </p><p>"Apparently the witch has her doing overtime again," Sabrina snorted and climbed her legs to the couch to surround them with her own arms and rest her chin on them, "that woman really has no life, it's not normal that she has more to say about my sexual life than I myself".</p><p> </p><p>"Perhaps you should tell her to join you, Brina," possibly if he didn't have Geralt with him, Jaskier would have signed his death sentence with that sentence, but with him nearby, the most that would happen to him would be the blow of a pillow to his face and, maybe, having to pay for the drinks the next time everyone went out.</p><p> </p><p>"From what they tell about of her, I don't think a lay would be of bad use for her, really," Yennefer had never met Triss's boss, but since she was in college, the rumors about her were considerably coloured.</p><p> </p><p>"Well, I don't think anyone has the courage to be near her... When she gave me class, she was completely terrifying," as she spoke, Sabrina threw another cushion at Jaskier.</p><p> </p><p>"Professor De Vries is married and I don't understand why you're so interested in her sex life," from the door frame, Triss looked at them all with her arms folded and serious expression "you should stop judging her without knowing her, it’s not nice".</p><p> </p><p>Sabrina jumped off the couch to go to the chestnut and gave her a kiss and a possessive hug, then she made an adorable pout, making Triss’s eyes grew softer.</p><p> </p><p>"And what fault do I have if she's got you away from me all day, every day of every week of every month of the year?" The blonde left several kisses on her partner's cheek until she smiled, knowing that she had won any possible argument.</p><p> </p><p>"Still, it's not her fault, we has a lot of work because of Stregobor".</p><p> </p><p>"Ugh, that name is forbidden in this house", Geralt growled to agree with what Jaskier just said, though he rolled his eyes at the next thing, "but tell us, Triss, sweet girl, what has he done now?"</p><p> </p><p>Triss walked up to the couch, while the blonde was going to get something to drink for her and made herself comfortable, waiting to have a beer bottle and her girlfriend back to start talking. Yennefer thanked Sabrina with a kiss on the cheek when she brought another one to her and sought a comfortable and slightly separated position from the other two women.</p><p> </p><p>"The other day he kicked Renfri out, she was Vanielle's assistant. We all know he had some sort of problem with the girl since she came in, but no one dares to stand up to the rector, so none of them could do anything..." She took the little bottle to her lips and drank, "the point is that without an assistant, Vanielle can't cover all her subjects, so Coral and Tissaia offered to lend her a hand".</p><p> </p><p>"The witch helping people. Wow."</p><p> </p><p>"Don't call her that, Julian," by using the real name of the man, it was clear that Triss wasn't in the mood to argue, and everyone there knew that no matter when, she wouldn't tolerate a single comment about her boss, however harsh or cruel he might be. "The thing is, she spent the whole night late helping her with the distribution of subjects from one of the subjects and forgot that her husband was coming back from a conference in Novigrad today, so she had to lose part of the morning with her and I had to take care of the paperwork, so we spent the afternoon doing everything we couldn't do this morning and just adjusted the curriculum of our subjects," after five years working as Tissaia's assistant, Triss couldn't be happier thinking about how much she loved her work and helping the woman in everything she needed, so she was excited when it was the teacher herself who used the plural as she had just done.</p><p> </p><p>"I only understood you have more work to do now because of her," Yennefer murmured, raising both eyebrows and ripping out an exasperated sigh from the older woman.</p><p> </p><p>"That would be a poor interpretation of the story, although no, my workload is the same, it just changes the way it's distributed over time".</p><p> </p><p>"Well, I don't like it," Sabrina hid her face in the hollow of her girlfriend's neck, an invitation to leave that Yennefer accepted, thinking it would be best to take advantage to get some of her own work done.</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer knew she had to repay Rita for being late on the first day, but she couldn't think of any useful ways to help her or ease her workload. She dropped into her bed and stared at the ceiling, blue eyes dancing in her thoughts.</p><p>After all, she had just started as assistant, she would need a little more time to think of something good and, if she was honest, at that moment she couldn't think of anything but the perfect factions of the woman who had left with her hoodie that morning. From how little had been able to deduce the brunette, she had surely met some teacher or teacher’s partner… But if they had rejected her, how likely was to see her again? Should she look for her? How could she even find her? Was she really married? The truth was that the hoodie didn't matter, all she wanted was to see the woman again, even if it was for a couple of minutes, because it seemed like a crime for anyone to deprive a single person of such privilege. Wasn’t art made to be contemplated and goddesses to be adored?</p><p>With all those ideas in mind, Yennefer ended up giving in to tiredness and sleep, but as she herself had inferred that morning, her night was riddled with tight skirts, blue eyes and a pleasant smell of vanilla and oak.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>The rest of the week passed much faster than Yennefer had expected, being quite busy and new enough not to allow her a single moment of distraction. She'd spend all morning and part of the afternoon in the campus, then go home or go to the gym, have dinner with her roommates, if anyone was free at that time and then go to her room to read something, play guitar or lie on the bed thinking of a certain woman who wouldn’t get out of her head.</p><p>She hadn't seen her since Monday and it was already Saturday afternoon, so the hopes the young woman felt were declining as time went on. Surely it would be best for her mind if she went out for a drink and left the house free for Jaskier and Geralt, as Triss and Sabrina had taken advantage of their days off to go on a romantic getaway. Yennefer needed to clear up and get some air, especially if that meant not listening to hours of pornographic content on the other side of the wall.</p><p>With a deep sigh, Yennefer stood up and walked to the closet to open it and look at its contents, silently. None of the garments seemed particularly suitable for the situation, but how would they do it? There wasn't a specific style for when you were partying so you wouldn't think of a woman you'd only seen once in your life, was there? It would be best to opt for tight jeans, a purple shirt with a turtle neck and sleeveless, a black leather jacket and high heels, accompanied by an intense red lipstick and some waves on her dark hair.</p><p>The young woman looked at the hour and sighed, for she did not even know where to go. If she only had Sabrina to advise her on a bar to go to, everything would be much easier, even if the blonde always swept home and tried to convince them to go to Cintra—one of the most expensive and reputable bars in town, whose fame had grown over the past two years and where the blonde worked since she began her physical engineering— so it wasn't a very reliable advice either... Although well-seen, what harm could make her pass by? The owner, Calanthe, was lovely and was always willing to give conversation to any of them or invite them to some drink.</p><p>Decided then, Cintra would be her next destination.</p><p>Yennefer knew that Jaskier probably would be bothered because she hadn't tell him to join her, but it was also clear that he and Geralt needed some privacy to do whatever they wanted to do, so she didn't even leave a note or a message before she walked out the door.</p><p> </p><p>Cintra was a small bar, mostly due to all the people who used to go there on weekends, usually too many people to be allowed inside. It was almost impossible to see college students there, as it went off most students' budgets, so the brunette could drink quietly, without risking flirting with one of Rita's students without knowing; it would be a compromised situation, so the more she avoided it, the better for everyone. Besides, the security guard, Mousesack, practically dragged her inside before she could even think of waiting in the queue. The lighting of the place was soft and clear, nothing as aggressive as the neons of most nightclubs, but discreet enough to give some privacy to those who came to the place. Several tables with chairs and armchairs were distributed along the ground floor, a small stage in which there was little band on the right and a fairly long bar with stools on the left.</p><p>Without much desire to listen to the band or talk to anyone, Yennefer chose to head straight to the bar and sit on the first free stool she found, on one of the corners of the bar. Possibly with all the people there, Calanthe wouldn't have time to talk to her, even if she had managed to hire someone to replace Sabrina that night.</p><p>Apparently, she had, because giving her back to Yennefer there was a woman who definitely was not the owner nor Ciri —Calanthe’s granddaughter, who had started to work in Cintra at the beginning of the summer. Her brown hair was meticulously collected in a herd braid that descended down her back, on a plaid shirt that she wore up to half a sleeve and tucked into tight jeans, which next to the heels she wore only further enhanced her curves. She was probably the hottest woman she had seen since Monday and Yennefer breath was just caught on her throat at her sight.</p><p>Without a doubt, that was a woman Yennefer could and wanted to flirt with that night. Especially when she would stop to watch the muscles in her arms flex in every move or the ability of her hands to prepare cocktails; if that woman was heterosexual, that would be a great loss to the lesbians.</p><p> </p><p>"I don't recommend you to go down that path," the voice startled Yennefer, causing her to turn her head sharply to see who it was.</p><p> </p><p>"What the...? Calanthe, you scared me!"</p><p> </p><p>"Well, it's not my fault you were too busy undressing my sister with your eyes," the brunette slit a half smile and raised one of her eyebrows, "though I should be grateful you didn’t reach the eye-fuck part".</p><p> </p><p>"Your sister? I-I... I didn't..." Yennefer swallowed and decided that it would be safer to keep looking Calanthe in the face, but that meant she couldn't lie to her. Shit.</p><p> </p><p>"It’s ok, it's not like it's a crime to look. Besides, I have eyes on my face too, and I know she's beautiful… And kinda hot, even though she doesn’t think that".</p><p> </p><p>"What? But she’s a goddess! And I can’t believe I just said that," Yennefer let her eyes wander around the people in the crowd.</p><p> </p><p>"Well, I'm just telling you, you'll end up getting a disappointment if you try… But I am not the one getting in between," not when she hated a certain person.</p><p> </p><p>"You can't blame a woman for trying," the youngest sighed dramatically, but she soon smiled again, "if I succeed, will I have to ask for her hand?</p><p> </p><p>Calanthe's laughter and subtle head movement were all the answer she got at first.</p><p> </p><p>"I think you'd have to ask her first, but it would be nice if you asked me, yes. Anything to bother her a little. Oh, and forget about breaking her heart, I don't want to break your face or to have to hide a corpse".</p><p> </p><p>"Eleven o'clock at night and you're already threatening people, Cal?" A familiar, exasperated voice sounded on the other side of the bar, attracting Yennefer's attention and forcing her to turn her head.</p><p> </p><p>When blue and violet eyes met, both women remained silent, staring at each other for what should have been enough time to make Calanthe uncomfortable —what was quite a hit— and obliged her to break the moment. Of all the places where Yennefer had hoped to find the stranger again, behind Cintra’s bar and being the sister of one of the scariest and most incredible women the young woman knew was not one of them.</p><p>Clearly, Yennefer couldn't look at any other woman to forget <em>the most beautiful woman in the world</em>, other than the woman herself, could she? Weren't there any more attractive women left on Earth? Possibly compared to her, the answer was negative, but still, Yennefer had again forgotten how to breath and the woman's eyes seemed to be wider than usual; but that expression lasted so little that the brunette began to doubt whether it would not have been a product of her mind, before the stranger regained a serious and completely neutral expression.</p><p> </p><p>"Do you know each other already?" Calanthe alternated her gaze between the two women, really curious, though seeing that neither of them answered her, she rolled her eyes," I will take that as a yes," she looked at the chestnut with a high eyebrow, as a warning, "you better tell me after what all this is about, Sky-"</p><p> </p><p>"Cal! I need a hand! " A male voice interrupted her half-speaking. Eist, who was also behind the bar tending to some customers seemed increasingly saturated with work. Between the man's lack of experience, the fact that the chestnut had been distracted by Yennefer and that Cal had gone out to check how it was going, it was no wonder that the orders were surpassing him.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm coming!" One last glance and the woman disappeared among the people, to appear a couple of minutes later on the other side of the bar.</p><p> </p><p>Silence settled again between the two women, who stared at each other again. The tension between the two only grew, so Yennefer was forced to break it again, hating a lack of conversation.</p><p> </p><p>"You have a beautiful name."</p><p> </p><p>"What...?" The woman frowned subtly, thus showing her confusion.</p><p> </p><p>"I say your name is precious."</p><p> </p><p>"I know what you said, I'm not deaf, but despite you're talking about the beauty of something that can't have it, again, I don't understand what that comment is about," possibly the answer was a little more aggressive than she had intended, but it was of little use to retract now, "what can I get you?"</p><p> </p><p>"Am I going to have to tell you every time I start flirting with you?" She winked at her, resting both elbows on the bar and leaning forward, thoughtfully, as she watched the blush spread across the older woman's face. It was a miracle that she managed to contain her tongue before sincerely answering the question, though she was sure not the way it had been formulated. "What do you recommend?"</p><p> </p><p>"My recommendation is that you stop trying to flirt with me," however, the chestnut took a glass and some bottles to start making a mix with their contents, without asking again.</p><p> </p><p>"And how am I going to seduce you if I stop flirting with you?" Yennefer pouted.</p><p> </p><p>"Easy, you don't seduce me," moving the shaker with one hand, she finished placing what was necessary in the glass, and then emptied the contents of it inside, "if I had known I’d find you here, I would have brought you your hoodie," she placed the glass in front of the brunette, but couldn't walk away, feeling a hand gently perched on her wrist. She didn't hold it, but it was enough to cause her whole body to tighten and paralyze instantly.</p><p> </p><p>"As good as you think you're on ruining the hopes of your suitors, I don't give up so easily," she left a caress on the chestnut skin but gladly she was quick to react and withdraw, trying to hide a worried look caused by the reaction of the other woman. She took the glass, "but I'll trust your judgment with the drink, with hands like that, I’m sure you can do wonders… I can offer as volunteer, if needed".</p><p> </p><p>"Right now, all I'd do is strangle you, honey," the woman rolled her eyes.</p><p> </p><p>"Oh, so we've already started with petnames and BDSM, uh. And you wanted me to give up..." She shook her head and drank, widening her eyes to the taste of it. It was by far the best thing she'd ever tasted when it came to alcohol, "how did you make this? And since we're at it, how are you going to strangle me being that short?"</p><p> </p><p>"Family recipe, I can't share it," she shrugged her shoulders and then waved her head, rising one of her eyebrows as she looked at the younger one, "it's not that hard, I just need to press your carotids and your trachea, something not too difficult with a neck like yours".</p><p> </p><p>"Really? Well, I don't think it's that easy, where are you supposed to squeeze to do that?" Clearly, for someone with a medicine degree, that question was something to be ashamed of, but part of she knew that if she made a fool of herself, maybe she would get the chestnut to come close to her or even see more of her skin. It couldn't be that bad, could it?</p><p> </p><p>What Yennefer had not foreseen, however, was that this short woman was really willing to tell her where the arteries or the windpipe were, leaning towards her over the bar and placing her two hands on her neck. The brunette had been playing with fire and had ended up burning, possibly for daring to fly too close to the Sun. She could feel her body temperature rise at least one or two degrees, accompanying the red hue to her cheeks.</p><p> </p><p>The woman had placed both hands on her neck, gently tucking them under the fabric so her fingers were in direct contact with the brunette’s suddenly sensitive skin, while still keeping her orbs fixed in her violet eyes. Yennefer had to bite her lower lip to suppress a subtle, and all too obvious, gasp and she forced herself to held her breath again, not relying on her own body.</p><p> </p><p>"The carotids are here," the tips of the chestnut fingers gently caressed the woman skin, Yennefer was sure she was able to feel the fast motion of her pulse, "If I put pressure on them right now I would cut off the flow of blood and oxygen to your brain and it could  knock you out and even kill you," now she moved her hands to gently caress Yennefer's trachea, "here's the winpipe, if I use enough strength I could crush it and you'd run out of breathing,"  the woman's voice had descended by at least a couple of octaves and it sounded a little hoarser. She left one last caress on that area, gently scratching the skin with her fingernails —causing a groan to eventually escape from the young woman's throat—, before finally removing both hands. "Considering how easy it has been for you to let me put my hands around your neck, I don't know why you doubt about my ability to strangle you, honey".</p><p>                                                                                                    </p><p>"Right now you could put your hands wherever you wanted on my body, do whatever you wanted with them, with me, and I wouldn't complain," she acknowledged in a growl, before realizing that she had said that out loud and that her excitement should be more than obvious to the woman at the time. But fuck that, she couldn't touch her like that and expect her to be made of stone, could she? By way the chestnut's own pupils had practically erased the blue on her eyes, Yennefer would bet all her money that she couldn’t. At least, she thought, she wasn’t the only one hot as fuck right now.</p><p> </p><p>"Give me your hand," Yennefer was happy to obey, extending the left to the woman, "I suppose you plan to get your hoodie back, so call me when it's good for you to do so," taking one of the pens they were probably using to take notes, the woman started writing her phone number in the the brunette’s hand, before letting her go. "I have other clients to attend to, so try not to get killed by any other woman out there".</p><p> </p><p>"Okay..." She breathed, despite she wasn’t sure about what she had just said. Yennefer had been so surprised that she hadn’t even been able to remove her hand once the female had let her go. Again, she stared at <em>the world's prettiest woman</em> and her amazing butt walking away from her and leaving her with her skin full of numbers, totally wet and with a surprisingly good cocktail.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Gravity</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A normal day in the office with a lot of not so normal things happening.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I needed to use that summary, sorry, it was funny on my mind, but I just wanted to get 2 characters closer because they are cute and their relationship has a lot to give. Thank you so much for all your comments and support, I have written until chapter 6, so I will be translating all of them the next weeks, if university allows me; hope you like it and sorry for what's coming, because the tags Trigger Warnings will be in order.</p><p>Italics are for whatsapp/menssages.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The weekend had been quite quiet —except for the Friday and Saturday’s nights spent in Cintra helping Calanthe with the bar—, but the amount of work and her husband's presence at home had prevented Tissaia from having a single second to rest, not to mention the encounter she had had with the last one the day before, and the argument of that morning, before leaving to the office.</p><p>Discussions with Vilgefortz were commonplace and something that happened every day when he wasn't out for some business, so it was nothing new that any time they shared ended up pretty badly for the woman, in any possible way. It was still almost an hour away for her first class, but the chestnut found herself unable to spend a single second in the same room as her husband, so she had chosen to go to the faculty building and get some work done instead. With a sigh, she left the bag on her desk and sat in her chair, closing her eyes for a couple of minutes; she could use a few hours of extra sleep, if she was honest, but she didn't have time to waste it on something that wasn't especially vital at the time.</p><p>A buzz coming from the bag caught her eye, so she hurried to look up for her cell phone inside it and check the notification. In doing so, she had to thank that there was no one around, as she could not hide a small smile that appeared on her lips when reading the message that said simply <em>'good morning, beautiful, I hope you are giving good use to my hoodie because it is awfully cold'.</em> Surely it was just nonsense, but except for three of her co-workers, her sister or her two best friends, no one else used to worry about her. If someone asked her what she did next, she would say that she wasn't thinking when she did it, but a very small part of her knew it was what she wanted deep down.</p><p> </p><p><em>'To begin with, cold doesn’t exist, it’s the absence of heat. And anyway, there are other, more efficient ways to warmup</em>.' She knew how bad that message could be interpreted, especially knowing the brunette's background, but what could she do? It wasn’t her fault that people didn’t usually understand the original meaning of words. Perhaps it would be nice to start by asking her name, although at that point she found it somewhat embarrassing, given that the violet-eyed woman did seem to know hers. <em>'Since this week it's probably impossible for me to find some time to stay, I guess I'll have to keep your number just in case... Any preference for the saving name?'</em></p><p> </p><p><em>'Well, if you need someone to give you a hand...'</em> Accompanying the message, there were three emojis winking.<em> 'You could keep me as "the love of my life" or "the woman of my dreams."</em> Although the older woman was sure that doing either of those two things would be highly inappropriate and put her on trouble, she could not help but smile. Again. That message was followed by what Tissaia inferred had been an accident, but which managed to make her laugh: an emoji of a pig. <em>'Shit'. 'Forget you've seen that.' 'Fuck'.</em> What was that woman doing? The chestnut was sure she had laughed and smiled more in five minutes than in two years.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>'Piglet will be, then'.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>'You can't be serious.'</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p><em>'You have a very dirty tongue, anyway, so it’s pretty accurate.' </em>Tissaia tried, hoping to be able to joke back.</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>'Soooo u've been looking at my tongue...'</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p><em>'I meant the way you talk.' </em>Okay, joking was obviously not her thing.</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>'Pitty... Though if u want, I could show it to you anyway.'</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>'I'm sure you know I'm married.'</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>'Well, at least you haven't told me you're straight. Your problem still has a solution.'</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Taking a hand to her mouth to try to prevent it, Tissaia laughed again. That woman was incorrigible, and the worst thing was that she couldn't help but play along, even if she knew it wasn't the right thing to do and that it would only bring her trouble.</p><p>When she looked at the screen again, an undownloaded photo awaited her. Because of the pixelated shape of the image, Tissaia didn't have much confidence in downloading it, but if it was rude or a joke, she'd have it as easy as blocking the young lady, right? What bad could be done by pressing the download button?</p><p>Apparently, all the bad she managed was to get the third laugh out of the day. That had to end before Triss or one of her co-workers decided to get to actually work, but how else could she deal with the picture of the youngest, nose to neck, pulling out her tongue?</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>'See? It's not dirty'. 'Are you still there?'</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>'I've been about to block you, but yes, dear, I'm still here'’.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>'Wow, well, let's see if the one with something dirty here is going to be you… What a dirty mind.'</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>'Technically the mind is an abstract thing, so it can't be dirty'.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>'Ah, okay? And why don't you explain it to me at dinner today?'</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Tissaia nearly dropped the phone when she read that message, so she decided the smartest thing was to leave it on the desk carefully and stare at it. Was she serious? She had just told her that she was married, and she had still been able to ask her on a date, that woman had a problem with understanding the hints, because that was what it had been, wasn't it? Why was she herself doubting her own words?</p><p>It was not as if she felt any love or loyalty for Vilgefortz. Being objective, she knew that he had slept with at least ten different women in the nine years they had been together —especially since every time they argued, he would ensure to throw it in her face to make her see how expendable she was and how little he cared about her feelings—, but the last time he had checked her phone and seen a conversation with innuendo, although it had been with her best friend, he had ended up crashing the phone against the wall, followed by...</p><p>Tissaia rested both hands on her own thighs to avoid their shake and took a slow breath of air, before looking at the screen again. There were some new messages from the young woman with violet eyes, but she dared not read them, not when more emotions than she could handle at the same time began to accumulate inside of her. A few minutes passed before she gathered enough strength to unlock the screen and read them.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>'You don't have to say yes.' 'I didn't want it to sound like a date either.' 'Clearly, you're married.' 'But we could be friends, if you like.' 'It's not that I want to because I like you, but I understand that you're married and I'm sure you love whoever was lucky enough that you put your eyes on them.' 'Even better, forget I said it.' 'Anyway, I'm sure you have a lot of friends already.' 'Maybe I'd better shut up.' 'Although I'm not talking, so I'd better stop writing.'</em>
</p><p> </p><p>The reaction of the youngest to her silence managed to soften the expression of chestnut, who began to feel guilty as she read the messages, but specifically the one in which she referred to her husband. For some reason the assumption had made her feel quite uncomfortable, but at the same time it had surprised her. Why would anyone be lucky she laid eyes on them? Both Vilgefortz and her students claimed there was nothing worse than being in the same room as her and having to listen to her, so what led a stranger to contradict the evidence? Maybe it wouldn't hurt to give her a chance. As a friend, of course.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>'I don't think I can stay for dinner this week, but maybe we could go for a drink on a Saturday afternoon, if you feel like it.'</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>'Yes'.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>'See you in Cintra?'</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>'At nine?'</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p><em>'At six o'clock, if you don’t have other plans'. </em>Inadvertently, Tissaia had ended up biting her lower lip and silently looking at her cell phone in her hands. She was too distracted to have realized that her assistant had entered her office, so her facial reactions were much more natural than she would have wanted to show anyone.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>'I’ll be there just in time’. ‘Don't even think about wearing my sweatshirt, I refuse to take it back home on a Saturday night and run out of excuses to see you again.'</em>
</p><p> </p><p>When Tissaia laughed again, a drowned exclamation echoed from one side of the office. The smile suddenly disappeared from the woman's face, while she slowly raised her gaze to find her assistant, who looked at her with her eyes wide and exaggeratedly open, half-pulling some papers out of her purse. How long had Triss been there? What had she seen? Would she know anything? What if...?</p><p> </p><p>"I think it's the first time I've seen you laugh in a long time," the youngest shyly murmured, "you look so much prettier when you do".</p><p> </p><p>The compliment caused both of them to blush and look away, but Tissaia nodded, not knowing what to say or do next. That gave space to the other woman to add something else that had gone through her mind.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm glad Professor Roggeveen has that effect on you, I really love seeing you happier".</p><p> </p><p>Happier? Did she seem happier? Did a stranger just have that effect on her?</p><p>Tissaia bit the inside of her cheek, needing all her self-control to stay neutral and not let a single emotion leak into her perfect facade. Surely it was just Triss’ stuff, she always saw the best side of all things, so it wasn't surprising that in this case it happened the same way. However, the sense of discomfort that the brunette's message had previously awakened in her came back then. No, Vilgefortz had no relation to her happiness —quite the opposite, indeed—, when she kept looking at the situation objectively.</p><p> </p><p>"And I love to see you happy, so I guess your romantic weekend has had a favorable result," with a high eyebrow and a little smile, Tissaia only needed that sentence for her assistant to tell her every last detail about those three days.</p><p> </p><p>Contrary to popular opinion, the chestnut did care about her co-workers, so she loved to hear everything they had to say. Above all, she love it when doing so caused them a smile like the one Triss had in that moment. The older woman had been serious in saying that she loved to see her happy and, after all these years, she was too fond of that girl to the point that part of her good mood would be easily transferred to her.</p><p>With two cups of coffee in her hands and not being able to knock, Vanielle entered her office, followed by Coral, who wore two others and Philippa, who wore only one, but also a paper box. The redhead left a cup in front of Triss and occupied the chair in front of the younger woman's desk, with a small smile; the woman was not very tall, but quite pretty and kind. Philippa, her assistant, left the box on Triss's desk and pulled up a chair to sit on it; normally her hair was picked up in two black pigtails, that rested on a prominent neckline, and her smile tended to be more like a smirk.  All three began to speak animatedly, despite the time it was.</p><p>Vanielle, black hair, as beautiful as the others and with eyes  as sweet as those of the chestnut assistant, approached Tissaia to leave one of the cups on her desk and then bent over her to kiss her forehead, resting a hand on her back, between her shoulder blades. The little whining of the woman was enough to attract the attention of Vanielle, who, instead of withdrawing her hand from where she had it, left it there, as if checking something.</p><p>Tissaia could tell how her friend's entire body had tightened, but she could also understand why, so she dared not look up and face her. The chestnut took her cup and approached it to her lips, but she did not drink from it; her jaw tightened when she felt a little more pressure in her back, and that was the only thing that prevented a second whining from escaping her control. Tissaia left the cup back on the desk, striving to control the tremor of her hands. It wasn't just the pain, but the expression she was sure the woman would have at the time.</p><p>Coral, Philippa and Triss continued to talk to each other, too distracted to realise anything that went a couple of feet past them, so Tissaia could only quietly thank them, while cursing her luck because the brunette would have just had to go and lean there.</p><p> </p><p>"You know I'm not going to let it go, right?" Vanielle's lips grazed her hair when she spoke against her head, in a whisper. Tissaia closed her eyes and nodded only once, aware that she was screwed.</p><p> </p><p>The last time Tissaia had made such a stupid mistake, it almost cost the job of one of the people she loved the most. Only the gods knew what consequences that second mistake was going to have.</p><p>When Vanielle stepped aside to sit in the chair in front of the desk, she did it so carefully not to touch any other part of the chestnut’s body, something she could only quietly thank, as she would have come to discover that her upper back was not the worst point to lean on. Despite Tissaia's neutral expression for the rest of breakfast, smiling in a measured way on some occasions —a smile that never reached her eyes—, much of the conversations they had were not recorded in her mind. She was only able to try to prepare for what might wait for her for the rest of the day, although she knew it was going to be a fairly long one; she simply did not expect another stone to fall on her roof so soon.</p><p>Because it was Stregobor who entered the office without even knocking on the door and stood still under the frame, staring and frowning at the five women gathered there, as if they were planning a mutiny on a pirate ship or worse. They all stared back at him, plunged into a cautious silence.</p><p> </p><p>"If I had ever known that even lacking a person, you were able to waste your time, ladies…" He shook his head "It looks like I will have to think in decreasing the number of employees again," his voice was stern and showed how little he liked those present in the room.</p><p> </p><p>"That's what we women have, even when people try to sink us, we find a way to float," Tissaia had risen up and surrounded her desk until she leaned on the front and crossed her arms, "but don't worry, rector, it's normal that you don't understand how that instinct works. Can we help you with something?"</p><p> </p><p>Stregobor strained his jaw and looked at the chestnut with open disdain.</p><p> </p><p>"Vilgefortz will be in Redania by the end of the week again, and I need someone to cover his classes, so I want you to take care of it," he walked to the desk to leave the papers on it with little care, "seeing that you have plenty of time, it shouldn't be too complicated".</p><p> </p><p>"Vilgefortz’s Thursday classes overlap with my own, I can't teach them all," Tissaia had needed to take a deep breath at least three times before speaking. Not only because of the incompatibility of the schedules or her husband had not told her that he was going on a trip again that same week, but because the indirect way of insulting those present.</p><p> </p><p>"I don't know why the university has hired that woman then," the man made a vague head move towards Triss, causing Tissaia to hold on to the edge of the desk tightly, channeling her anger as discreetly as possible.</p><p> </p><p>"If you had to find out why the university has some people hired, you'd be surprised to find out that your assistant could perfectly work without you. That ability he has to do the work of two people is amazing," with a perfectly faked friendly smile, Tissaia searched her desk until she found a dossier she offered Stregobor. "Here's the budget of the department of physics, mathematics and technology, I hope Istredd doesn't get too bored reviewing it," the man took the dossier and gave a murderous look at the chestnut, because everyone knew that was one of his main tasks as rector and not one of his assistant, so the insinuation was more than obvious. "Now, if he excuses us, we are enjoying our free time before it’s time to work and we do have work to do and it would be a shame if you had to hire back Renfri to help us, right? I trust you know how to find the door".</p><p> </p><p>The bold man came up close enough to whisper something to Tissaia and then turned around to get out of the office, slamming the door loudly. The room was silent for a few more minutes, the five women finishing to process what had just happened, until it was Philippa who did something to break the silence and, while bringing out Tissaia's colors.</p><p> </p><p>"I have no words to describe how you've turned me on in two minutes," the woman with pigtails stopped looking at the door to fix her eyes on the blue orbs, fascinated.</p><p> </p><p>"Philippa!" The teacher crossed her arms again, looking away.</p><p> </p><p>"In Philippa's defense, I must admit, I've never seen that side of you, and I'm very confused about how I feel about it," Coral murmured.</p><p> </p><p>"Whatever… But don’t you dare to say I'm going to be the cure for heterosexuality or I’m leaving," Tissaia rolled her eyes, and recovered her cup of coffee.</p><p> </p><p>"And now she's starting to make jokes... Somebody call Rita, we're losing arch-mistress de Vries," Vanielle laughed, lying in the chair and then winking at her friend.</p><p> </p><p>"You are incorrigible, all of you," she took the cup to her lips to hide a little smile behind it.</p><p> </p><p>"Maybe, but you have to admit that seeing how you put Stregobor in place has its erotic point," Philippa adopted a seductive expression, "are you sure you're not interested in joining me for a moment in the bathroom so we could...? "</p><p> </p><p>"Philippa!" Triss threw a ball of paper at her, pulling out a laugh from everyone present.</p><p> </p><p>"Well, enough. All of you, to work, come on, get out of here," with a movement of her hands and smile still lightning her face, Tissaia instructed them to leave. She was going to need to get to work seriously if she had to add two new subjects to her schedule that week.</p><p> </p><p>When the three women had left Tissaia's office, Triss closed the door and turned to look at her boss, who had already regained her place behind the desk and was looking for some papers to start to work with. Maybe it was just silly, but it had seemed to her that the older woman had confronted the rector because of her, which made her feel a little guilty, if she was honest, so she could only approach the table and stand still, her eyes fixed on the wood and her lips sealed, unable to find the right words.</p><p> </p><p>"Triss, if you want to tell me something, I'll be happy to listen to you, but decide whether you want to do it or not, we don’t have all the day" the little rebuke was said so softly that it was impossible to be taken the wrong way. The girl nodded once.</p><p> </p><p>"I... I'm sorry about what happened with Stregobor and..." She stopped when she saw movement through the corner of her eye, raising her head from the wood just to see that the woman was standing next to her and had raised a hand to prevent her from continuing.</p><p> </p><p>"Triss, you're not to blame for anything, do you hear me?" Tissaia let one hand on her shoulder and another under her chin to make her look at her eyes and make sure she nodded, before continuing. "Stregobor is an… A living being who enjoys making people feel bad and pretending to be better than others, but I refuse to let you be one of her victims. Absolutely no one says a single bad word to my co-teacher and gets away unpunished, much less if it turns out that the co-teacher in question is one of my friends and an important person to me," Tissaia sucked at speaking of her feelings, so she used the thumb of her left hand to wipe away the young woman's tears with great care. "I don't care if it's the rector, the king or an elephant, I'm not going to be quiet if someone tries to attack you. You're one of the best people I've ever met in my life and a more than capable and competent worker, so that fucking asshole had no right to threaten with unem-" Tissaia stood still when two arms surrounded her body and started narrowing her tightly, interrupting her speech for a couple of seconds. Despite the pain, it was warm and comforting, "-ploy you. Besides, I trust you to give the classes that overlap, and you know I wouldn't trust anyone else with all my students".</p><p> </p><p>Finally, Tissaia corresponded to the gesture, wrapping Triss with her own arms and leaving some caresses on her back, in what she hoped were appeasing and affectionate gestures. The younger woman was to emotional to say anything, so she just stood there, hugging her boss until it was time to leave for classes.</p><p> </p><p>Maybe the day wouldn’t be so bad, after all, would it?</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>Definitely, the day couldn't get any worse.</p><p> </p><p>"I can't believe you told Rita".</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia had her face buried between her hands and her eyes closed. She was sitting in the chair behind her desk, her elbows resting on the table and her body tilted forward. In front of her were standing Vanielle and Margarita, both looking at her with different degrees of anger and concern reflected in their faces.</p><p>The dark-haired chose to sit down, deigning to be slightly sorry after sending Triss home so she and the blonde could talk to Tissaia before she also left, trying to run from her. The assistant had looked at her confused, but seeing Rita walk past her furiously, she had inferred that the smartest thing was to listen to the brunette and get out of there before anyone focused the anger on her.</p><p>Rita, however, started to walk back and forth, trying to contain most of her anger with few results. She hadn't said anything since she had arrived, but Tissaia needed nothing more than to look the woman in the eye to find out what was going through her mind at that very moment.  The blonde knew and everything the shit would reach the fan at any second now.</p><p> </p><p>"Of course I told her, she's also your best friend and the only one capable of breaking that fucking bastard’s face a second time".</p><p> </p><p>"You're rushing, it's not what it looks like..." The chestnut looked up at them, trying to placate them, but that only served to make Rita more angry, so she fixed her eyes on the wood again.</p><p> </p><p>"Do you think we're rushing? Now are you going to tell me you fell down the stairs? That you have stumbled upon? For fuck’s shake, Tissaia, in all the years we've spent together, not even a gale has made you lose your balance or control, so don't you dare try to lie to me with such a poor excuse," finally, the blonde stopped, facing her friend. "Don't you dare to tell me he hasn't started to beat you again because I know he has. That son of a bitch should be behind bars or at least twenty miles from you".</p><p> </p><p>"I..." Tissaia buried her face on her hands again, squeezing her jaw in a reflex act. She wasn’t keen to recognize the truth, knowing how bad her best friends were going to react to it, but she also had no strength to keep lying to them, knowing it would be worse. Thus, she tried to gather as much energy as possible, but only managed to emit a faint whisper, without raising her gaze from a suddenly interesting paper on her desk. "He... He hasn't started to beat me again, he just never stopped".</p><p> </p><p>Vanielle opened her eyes widely and gasped, but did not move or say anything else, unable to react immediately. Margarita, on the other hand, moved her hands to one side of the desk, throwing some of the books on it. Perhaps, if any of the three women had been paying a minimum of attention to the door, any of them could have seen a petrified Triss standing in the middle of the room.</p><p> </p><p>"You have to leave fucking now". Vanielle raised a hand and gently let it rest on her friend’s arm, "I don't care if he still has <em>that</em> to blackmail you, I don't care if he has Stregobor on his side, I don't care if he comes after me too. You can't go on living like this for another nine years".</p><p> </p><p>"That’s it. I'm going to kill him," the blonde sentenced, turning right. "Between ten and fifteen years are quite viable, I will surely be left with minimal condemnation and I’ll be released earlier for good behavior... That's if they find the body".</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia raised her head again as she heard the woman say that, ready to rebuke her, but any words, emotions and thoughts were temporarily frozen, while her mind processed Triss's presence in her office. From her face, Tissaia was sure she had heard much more than she should have, but, unable to be sure, she was forced to ask.</p><p> </p><p>"How much have you heard, Triss?"</p><p> </p><p>Rita and Vanielle turned their heads in reflex act towards the entrance, surprised and almost horrified to see the girl among them. The guilt was evident in their body expressions, because they were aware that they had practically been shouting Tissaia's secret at her assistant. Neither woman dared to move, as they watched Triss; Tissaia, however, stood up and surrounded the desk to approach the younger one.</p><p>The woman avoided Tissaia’s gaze and seemed to be on the verge of tears a second time that day, so the professor did the same as on that first occasion. Ignoring the presence of her two friends, she surrounded Triss's body with both arms and hugged her very carefully, hoping that it could help her feel better.</p><p> </p><p>Triss could not react for the first minute, although seeing that the older woman would not let her go, her body began to relax, allowing several sobs to escape her throat, against her will. The sobs were accompanied by some tears, as she rounded the teacher's small body with both arms, this time clinging to it more tightly. The curly-haired one was aware that it should not be Tissaia who was comforting her, but it should be the other way around, but any attempt to speak or even calm down was thwarted by more tears.</p><p>How could she have been so blind all those years? Surely the abuse had been going on right under her nose all that time and she had not even been able to realize it. Triss buried her face against the woman's collarbone, for despite the awkwardness of the position, given the difference in height, she wanted to do anything to avoid looking her in the face.</p><p> </p><p>"It’s all right, just let go. Get everything out, darling," Tissaia dared to leave a kiss on the brown strands, without loosening her hold on the other woman's torso, "it’s okay, take your time... And you two, don't even think about doing anything, do you hear me?"</p><p> </p><p>The woman had not turned to look at her friends, but her tone had left no window to argue, so she knew they both nodded the same way. Right now, she was unable to deal with the situation and the three people who accompanied her, so it would be best to divide the problems one at a time and prevent the two women from getting into trouble until she could introduce some sense on their heads. Leaving some caresses in Triss's hair, she spoke again.</p><p> </p><p>"Well, then. Rita, I need you to help me prepare Thursday and Friday classes to replace Vilgefortz," hearing the name, the blonde growled, but then ended up muttering an nodding, while bending to retrieve the books she had previously thrown away. "Vanielle, you already have enough with your own subjects, so I don't want to give you any more work," Tissaia smiled slightly when she realized that the young woman had calmed down a little bit and was just cuddled against her, "Triss, love, I'm going to need you to do me a favor and not tell absolutely anyone what you might have heard".</p><p> </p><p>The young woman nodded but did not make a single move to pull away from the woman or let her go, so Tissaia continued to leave caresses on her back and hair, confident that she was doing it well enough, if they were still there. She had not lied when she had told her that she was one of the people she trusted most, although that information was not what she would have liked to share and it was absolutely not the way she would have liked it to come to light. But the damage was already done and all she had left was to try to deal with it in the best way possible.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Yes, the two characters were Tissaia and Triss with a mother-daughter relationship, I regret nothing.</p><p>Comments and kudos are really appreciated, thank you so much for your support, you are amazing &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Head</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Triggering angst at the beggining, fluff the rest.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Italics at the beggining are for a flashback.</p><p>The flashback is only to explain Tissaia’s injuries, please, do not read if physical, emotional or sexual abuse can trigger you because the scene is not vital and has no more meaning than reflecting Tissaia’s wounds, the fact that Vilgefortz hates Calanthe and also the fact that he’s a piece of shit in this story. Plus Saturday night, Tissaia had 'those' kind of dreams with Yennefer. No vital details beyond that, or something nobody knows, so you can just skip it.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
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  <em>She left the keys in the furniture at the entrance and took off her shoes not to make any noise when walking around the house, for she didn’t want to risk waking him up or disturbing the neighbor downstairs. It was around five o'clock on Sunday morning and the night had been quite pleasant; of course, when Calanthe had asked her to help her that weekend, she hadn't expected to feel so good again behind the bar... Not to mention the cheeky violet-eyed girl who seemed determined to find her in her most vulnerable moments.</em>
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  <em>Tissaia took a hand to her face and sighed, though a small smile threatened to curve her lips and appear on her face. Gods, how could she have written her phone number in her hand? What was she now? She was thirty-seven, not seventeen, she couldn't behave like an idiot.</em>
</p><p><em>Besides, it would be best if she was careful and began behaving like a good wife now that Vilgefortz had returned from his journey. With as much stealth as possible, the chestnut walked to their room, undressed and got the braid undone; but it was by lying on the bed in the dark that she realized that all that care had been in vain, since the mattress was empty. Possibly her husband had gone to spend the night with one of his lovers, it wouldn't be the first time he'd done it and it wasn't like she cared. At that point, all she felt for Vilgefortz</em> was fear, and yet when she closed her eyes, it was not his face<em> that inhabited her dreams, turning them into nightmares, but that of a younger woman with beautiful violet eyes… And in a very different kind of dreams.</em></p><p><em>When the chestnut awoke, she could feel her whole body burning, her chest rising and dropping heavily and some discomfort between her legs, more than obvious even without moving from the position she was in. Tissaia opened her eyes and glanced quickly around her to check that she was alone; it was about ten in the morning, so it would be best if she used the opportunity to take a shower and get ahead of as much work as possible, pretending that nothing had happened. The problem, however, was that Vilgefortz had already returned home and </em>did not hesitate for a single second to intercept <em>her before she could reach the bathroom.</em></p><p>
  
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  <em>"Good morning, my love," the man surrounded her waist and bent down to kiss her forehead. "How was your night with the bitch?"</em>
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  <em>"Could you not call my sister a bitch?" The woman sighed, though she composed a believable smile upon receiving that gesture, "everything went pretty well, there were more people than I remembered, so it was a pretty busy night."</em>
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  <em>Tissaia knew better than to ask him where he had been or how his night had gone, so she didn't add anything else.</em>
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  <em>"I can try... Want to come to the shower with me? I think is a crime that I have been here for almost a week and I haven’t already been able to enjoy <strong>my</strong> wife," Vilgefortz's emphasis on the possessive was enough for Tissaia to tighten, knowing that he would not accept no for an answer.</em>
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  <em>The chestnut didn't even move when Vilgefortz started wandering from her waist to her ass, then sneaking under the shorts and giving it a strong squeeze, which would surely leave bruises within a few minutes. By the time her back touched the wall and the man's tongue aggressively invaded her mouth, Tissaia knew she was doomed; not because she had to sleep with him or because of the agressive care with which he treated her, that's what she was used to, the problem was...</em>
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  <em>"What the fuck...?" Vilgefortz held the woman by the neck with one hand, pulling the other out of her pants and lifting it to the height of her eyes, his fingers glistening because of the moisture that permeated them.</em>
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  <em>When Tissaia looked away, the hand on her neck put more pressure on its grip on it, dangerously pressing her arteries. Although the woman knew he would not allow her to lose consciousness, the irony that just the night before she had explained to the woman with violet eyes how to strangle someone and that they both were turned on by that, struck her hard. Of course, the irony blow was much softer than the knuckles that sank into her stomach only a couple of seconds later, forcing her to try to shrink on herself.</em>
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  <em>"Who the fuck were you thinking about?!" He held the hands of the woman, who was trying to push away the one he used to grab her neck and placed it above her head tightly. "I asked you a fucking question, Tissaia, I know how fucked up your mind is".</em>
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  <em>"No one," she came to mutter, gasping at the lack of air.</em>
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  <em>Tissaia didn't even have time to place her hands well to cushion her fall or even turn, because with a pretty brusque push, her back hit the corner of the dresser and then she fell to the ground. She tried to back down and turn back, but it took Vilgefortz little time to stand on her, straddling her hips and holding her two arms above her head with one of his hands, while using the other to cross her face with a slap. The gesture surprised Tissaia, unaccustomed to be beaten in visible places, although she was sure that her husband would have been careful enough not to leave a single mark that could expose him, not on her face, at least.</em>
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  <em>"Don't lie to me, bitch," he stuck his fingers in her forearms so hard that the chestnut was beginning to lose the sensibility of her hands, "we both know that no one can even look to your face, so I know it's impossible that you've slept with someone else. However, you've probably spent the night thinking of some shitty customer," now Vilgefortz's free hand was holding the T-shirt Tissaia was wearing as pajamas so that the suspenders would stick to her shoulders, causing the skin under them to start to burn and hurt, "I thought you had learnt not to have those disgusting thoughts about fucking sluts. Will I have to teach you again?"</em>
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</p><p><em>"You're hurting me," she whispered, frightened when she realized he was angrier than usual, </em>"ple<em>--" the word didn't manage to get out from Tissaia's lips, replaced by a small cry of pain, for in a quick motion, her hair had become tangled in a strong hand and her head, after being slightly lift, had hit the ground hard enough to dull everything around the woman. All the furniture moved and distorted within her vision range, so she assumed she would surely have a concussion and it would be best to avoid sudden movements and more knocking.</em></p><p>
  
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  <em>"That's exactly what I want, you don't deserve anything else," in a second move, he forced her to turn around until her face was pressed against the ground, "you disgust me so I can't even look you in the face, Tissaia, so do us all a favor and shut the fuck up so the useless one downstairs won't hear you. It would be a pity if certain information lacked the way your awful voice does".</em>
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  <em>Vilgefortz's voice sounded hollow and distant, but some words and threats continued to reach her ears, distorted and laden with fury.</em>
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</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>"Here you have".</p><p> </p><p>Feeling something warm against her hands, Tissaia opened her eyes and allowed Margarita to place the cup between them. Unable to argue with her, she was now sitting on the sofa in her living room, her legs raised and glued to her chest, and wearing little more than a hoodie four sizes larger than her, and her underwear, while her hair was still wet.</p><p>The chestnut took the cup to her lips and took a sip of the tea, smiling lightly. She had not yet been able to look her friend in the eye, although she knew that she would find nothing but worry and affection in them. Perhaps that is why she had allowed her to undress and examine her body to make sure that no injuries were too severe, since apparently her judgment was not reliable enough for she had been hiding the Vilgefortz matter from her again.</p><p>Rita rounded her shoulders with one arm and lured her against her body, until Tissaia's head was resting on her chest, being able to leave a kiss on her hair then. The blonde knew that her friend was a difficult woman to treat and that it was difficult to have her accepting anyone’s affection, just as she often found it difficult to react when she received them, but if something she had learned over time, it was that she needed it as much or more than any other person, however difficult it was for her to manage or ask for it.</p><p> </p><p>"By the way, cool hoodie, I didn't know you were wearing that kind of clothes since you took them from my closet when you stayed the nigh," the woman joked, though when she saw that the other woman's face took on a reddish hue, her two eyebrows rose and her tone became much sharper and more surprised, "Tissaia De Vries, I can't believe you're wearing another woman's clothes".</p><p> </p><p>Faced with the complete silence of the chestnut, Rita resumed the caresses on her hair, stopping only when Tissaia bent down to leave the cup on the floor. A little smile was drawn on her lips when, just after that, the smaller one curled up between her arms and rested her head on her shoulder. As difficult as it was to get Tissaia to initiate such gestures, when she did, it was worth it.</p><p> </p><p>"She gave it to me because, and I am only repeating what she said, I was too wet to get home that way," she muttered.</p><p> </p><p>"You don't have to tell me if you're not comfortable doing it, Ti," Rita placed a blanket over both of them, and hugged her the woman with one arm again, holding her hand with her own free one. As much as some of the chestnut words left open the possibility of joking with double senses, she knew that doing so was a terrible idea, besides something that greatly annoyed her friend.</p><p> </p><p>"It's silly," she murmured, though the color of her cheeks said something different, "so you're sure interested on it," finally, a soft smile appeared on her lips, accompanying the joke.</p><p> </p><p>"Well, I am your ex and one of your besties, love, obviously I am interested in people flirting with you… Though I’d love to be present next time so I can see the poor thing’s face when you elegantly turn them down and then, probably, laugh at their disgrace".</p><p> </p><p>"You are an idiot, Ri," and she was, but they both knew she wasn’t serious. Tissaia sighed and then began. "Last Monday Vilgefortz was coming back from Novigrad, but I had forgotten, so when he told me he was here I went to visit him at his office, I managed to get there five minutes after he arrived, but he was busy, so I waited for him in the park behind the bio building..." Tissaia slowly took air and closed her eyes, "he was angry because I hadn't been there to meet him as soon as he arrived and I hadn't been waiting for him, so he threw the coffees on me," the chestnut clenched her jaw, noticing all the changes in her friend's body, which allowed her to perceive how tense and furious she was at every word she said. She tried to calm her down by cuddling more against her, for after all, Rita always managed to make her feel safe, "but the important thing is that I stayed there for a while and it started raining… So, this beautiful woman approached me with an umbrella," Tissaia discretely bit the inside of her cheek to suppress a treacherous smile at the memory, though Margarita did not overlook it. "She told me that whoever had it been, he was an asshole and then she started flirting with me and even dared to tell me there was nothing uglier than a girl crying... Oh, and the very cheeky girl also dared to compare my beauty with that of the stars and say that I was much prettier," she covered her mouth when a little laugh escaped her lips, without daring to open her eyes and see Rita's reaction, "of course I had to tell her that the stars couldn't be pretty because they were masses of plasma, but I don’t think she really understood".</p><p> </p><p>"I can't believe you really told her that after a compliment like that one," the blonde's offended, mocking voice forced Tissaia to open her eyes and look at her, confused. "For Hippocrates, you need urgent flirting classes.</p><p> </p><p>"But Ri, I just don't think a mass of plasma seemed pretty to her, even if it actually is," wrinkling his nose, she composed something similar to a pout; clearly, at that point her status as a married woman was no longer an excuse… Though it had never been according to Rita.</p><p> </p><p>"Ti," imitating her tone of voice, Rita turned a little, looking her in the eye, "I'm sure whoever that mysterious girl is, she’d been able to tell you that her heart stopped when she saw you if you had given her the chance".</p><p> </p><p>While the blonde tried not to laugh, Tissaia's annoyed face grounded any option to contain the first cackle.</p><p> </p><p>"It's biologically impossible for that to happen, and you know it".</p><p> </p><p>"Yes, but it's lovely to see how it's hard for you to understand romantic metaphors, especially when they're directed towards you ".</p><p> </p><p>"There has always been people with terrible taste... And I remind you that you are the first one," she gave her a gentle tap on the cheek with her index, waiting for her to stop laughing at once.</p><p> </p><p>"My taste is impeccable, I only go out with beautiful, intelligent women, like you, for example," she winked, "but let's not change the subject, I want to know how the story ended".</p><p> </p><p>"Ah..." The chestnut nodded and stopped for a couple of seconds to try to get the thread back from the previous conversation, "well, I'd been in the rain for a while, so I was completely soaked, so she took off her sweatshirt and told me to wear it so I wouldn't catch pneumonia. Clearly, I explained her that without a virus or bacteria, I could only get a cold... But she turned so that I could take off my shirt and put this thing on me," Tissaia put her hands up the sleeves, caressing the fabric distractedly, "it was pretty polite and I think it was the first time that someone besides you could get me to strip in a public place," she didn't know if Rita's exclamation was positive or negative, but she opted for the first thing, as she immediately laughed again, "and then you phoned me because we were supposed to eat together and I was late".</p><p> </p><p>"Are you telling me I screwed up your date?"</p><p> </p><p>"That wasn't a date, Margarita!"</p><p> </p><p>"But almost! You even striped!"</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia grabbed a cushion and used it to softly hit the woman, who was still laughing, despite the intense color that the chestnut’s cheeks had at that point.</p><p> </p><p>"Now tell me, what's the mysterious woman's name?"</p><p> </p><p>" I... Uhm... I don't know".</p><p> </p><p>"What do you mean you don't know?" Rita put her legs on the couch and crossed them, turning to face Tissaia, too involved. "How are we going to find her if you don't know it?"</p><p> </p><p>"Well... I got her phone number, I gave her mine on Saturday," she acknowledged the blonde, with a voice thread, "but we are not going to look for her or anything of that sorts".</p><p> </p><p>"What do you mean, you have his phone number?! Saturday? What happened on Saturday? You have to tell me absolutely everything, Ti," she took her hands and looked her in the eye, speaking seriously and excitedly, "I can’t believe you told me nothing before".</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia sighed, but a smile betrayed her true feelings. It was difficult to talk about anything personal and Rita just made it look so easy to get the information from her, "you know I promised Cal I'd give her a hand last weekend in Cintra, because her star waitress had got the nights off and she needed someone skilled".</p><p> </p><p>"And I can verify how skilled you are with your hands," one blue eye winked at her.</p><p> </p><p>"Rita!" Tissaia looked at her severely, but she couldn't hide the smile that her face was trying to wield, "the thing is, I was taking care of some clients and Calanthe called me, so I came over and... Well, <em>she</em> was there," she bit her lower lip, unconsciously; the blonde knew she was only doing that under certain conditions, but she avoided commenting, "I don't know why my idiotic sister disappeared and then we were left alone. She told me that my name was beautiful, although it is only a word and it is not as if it was... You know, a woman, for example. She shook her head and told me that next time she would let me know when she started flirting, I guess so that I wouldn't ruin all her pickup lines. I told her not to flirt with me, and yet she kept doing so," she sighed, "and as she didn't know what to order, I invited her to a glass of Chaos".</p><p> </p><p>"You mean you invited her to the most expensive drink of the whole menu," Rita nodded.</p><p> </p><p>"What does that have to do with anything?"</p><p> </p><p>"Absolutely nothing, keep going".</p><p> </p><p>"Well... It's just that..." Tissaia veered her eyes, blushing harder, "before giving her the glass, she told me that with these hands I could do whatever I wanted to her, so I tried to joke and I said I just wanted to strangle her, but she replied that how I expected her to give up if I was already starting with the BDSM..." Her voice was less more than a sharp whisper.</p><p> </p><p>"I don't know who that girl is, but I feel a sudden need for her to become my new best friend," she gave a gentle squeeze to the woman’s hands, "what happened next?"</p><p> </p><p>"She said to me, and I quote verbatim <em>'how are you going to strangle me with being that short?</em>'" With a frown, she tilted her head, "so I explained that I would have to press her carotids or crush her trachea, but she told me that she didn't know where they were and asked me if I could show her where they were," Rita had been stunned, so Tissaia's frown only wrinkled more, "what?"</p><p> </p><p>"A woman, in a bar, asks you to show her where the carotids are, and you take it literally?"</p><p> </p><p>"Hmh..." Tissaia shrugged, refusing to admit how stupidly hot such a small gesture had been to her, "after that she told me I could put her hands wherever I wanted, so I told her to give me her hand and I wrote my phone number in her skin with a pen," she cleared her throat, "so she could call me to meet and return her sweatshirt".</p><p> </p><p>"Suuuuuuuuure, obviously it was the reason," with a rogue smile, the blonde raised both eyebrows, "writing your number in her hand is very old school, but you thinking about doing that when she told you clearly that she wanted to fuck you..."</p><p> </p><p>"She didn't tell me that! And what else did you want me to do? I didn't know where to put my hands when she told me to put them wherever I wanted," Tissaia's face was practically of the same color as the other woman's lips at that point. They both knew how much the chestnut panicked when someone she liked flirted with her.</p><p> </p><p>"Whatever you say, Ti. But go on, tell me, did she call you?"</p><p> </p><p>"I... She has written to me this morning," she whispered, looking away.</p><p> </p><p>"So she wrote to you, uh," Rita released one of her hands to put her index under her friend's chin and lift her face, patiently waiting for me to meet her eyes, "that's great, now you know she's interested".</p><p> </p><p>"I don't think that's it... She probably just wants her hoodie back," with a dejected sigh and the lower lip trapped again between her teeth, Tissaia stretched out to pick up her cell phone and the cup of cold tea, "we will meet on Saturday for a drink, but I'm sure you want to see everything we've talked about... Because of course, you are the queen of gossips," Margarita didn't nod, not wanting to push her, but they knew each other well enough that she didn't have to, and deep down, the chestnut felt much better being able to talk about it all to someone without receiving any judging. So, she gave her the unlocked phone with the chat open, "I saved her as Piglet, you’ll read why".</p><p> </p><p>"I am not sure if I want the context," the first thing the blonde did was get into the profile of the mysterious girl, but sadly her picture was just a cat sitting in front of a birthday cake, so it offered her little information, "well, fuck it, I do want to know everything, let’s see".</p><p> </p><p>When Tissaia finished her tea and left the cup back on the floor, she sought a more comfortable position than the previous one while letting the blonde read. She decided to lie on the couch and leave her head resting on Rita's lap and just smile when she felt the blonde’s hand stroking her hair. Without either of them noticing, time had advanced much faster than expected and the midnight had long since passed. Tissaia had barely slept that weekend, so it was no wonder that her eyelids weighed more than they should, or that the third time she blinked, she wouldn’t open her eyes again, eventually giving in to sleep.</p><p> </p><p>"You can tell that..." Rita stopped when she realized that Tissaia was asleep and she smiled tenderly. Carefully, she bent down to grab the blanket and throw it back at the top of the woman, making sure she didn't get cold; it would be a shame after the mysterious girl’s efforts. Then Rita whispered, "you can't blame me for this, Ti, but since you won't let me kill he-who-must-not-be-named, I'm going to make sure you get a proper girlfriend who really deserves you".</p><p> </p><p>And, having said that, she wrote a message to Yennefer.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Tissaia and Rita are going to be friendship goals, as will be Vanielle and Tissaia. There's no more reason on that that the fact that I love them so much, so sorry.</p><p>I hope you liked the chapter, beyond the beggining. Any comment is welcomed, thanks for reading!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Cold</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is chapter is more calm, hope you like it.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><em>'I</em> <em>hope what you said about wearing your hoodie is still standing, because it's awfully cold tonight.'</em></p><p> </p><p>Yennefer took the spaghetti tangled fork to her mouth and held it there with her teeth while unlocking the phone and checking the notification. She almost choked when she saw that it was a message from Sky —because she had inferred it was her name— having to ignore Jaskier's mocking gaze on the other side of the table.</p><p> </p><p>"Is that the milf  you haven't stops talking about since the other day?"</p><p> </p><p>"Don't call her milf! She’s no more than 35, I’m sure," she managed to respond, after swallowing the food and drinking a sip of water. Then, Yennefer lips drew a silly smile "but yes, it's her".</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer stopped to carefully read the message, then frowned upon seeing that something didn't fit. Quickly, she typed the first thing that came to mind. She didn't practically know the chestnut, but she was sure she wasn't the person who was talking to her right now, basically because it hadn't been frustrating.</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>'No matter how excited I was when I saw the text, thinking it was her… I don't know if I can say the same about you.'</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p><em>'What do you mean?</em>' Rita was striving to imitate Tissaia's writing, so she didn't understand how she had been caught with just the first message.</p><p> </p><p><em>'I know you're not her</em>.' She clarified in the following message, hoping that it was not the person the woman was married to.</p><p> </p><p>"Yen, tell me, you can't have me in the uninformed while you put those faces," Jaskier had risen up to circle the table and lean over his friend, with his chin resting on her shoulder so he could see the messages, "Uuuuh, things get interesting".</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>'What do you mean I'm not her? I'm me.'</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p><em>'I mean, I'm still awake, so the chance of her writing me a message like that is reduced to one percent, if she's ever got drunk</em>… And despite how cutely small she is, I don’t think she ever has1.' The brunette sighed. <em>'Besides, if you had been her, you wouldn't have said it's cold, because the cold is the absence of heat and I'm sure that woman's brain is unable to misuse any term, which is pretty sexy, really.'</em></p><p> </p><p><em>'I</em> <em>can't believe you've only spoken three times and already realized that.'</em></p><p> </p><p><em>'So</em>, <em>I'm right’. ‘Wait, has she told you about me?'</em> The young woman smiled and crashed Jaskier's five, before the color disappeared from his face. <em>'Are you her wife?' ‘Her husband?' 'The flirting thing wasn't serious.' 'I mean.' 'It was, it's impossible not to flirt with such a beautiful and fascinating woman, but I clearly know she's married and she hasn't stopped repeating it to me, so you don't have to worry about she cheating on you or anything.' 'Is she in trouble?' 'Am I in trouble?' 'I swear there's been absolutely nothing going on between us.' 'It was also a joke that being married had a solution.' 'I'm so sorry I flirted with your wife.' 'Well, I'm not sorry.' 'She's beautiful.' 'And clever. 'And sexy'. 'Shit, I shouldn't be saying that.'</em></p><p> </p><p>The longer it took the person on the other side to answer, the more nervous Yennefer got and the more messages he sent, trying to figure out what was going on.</p><p> </p><p><em>'Enough</em>.'</p><p> </p><p>And, as soon as she read the message, Yennefer stopped, perhaps influenced by the final dot, perhaps because imagining Sky giving her orders had just brought back all the heat her body had lost seconds ago. With Jaskier sticking his fingers in her arms, with pure nerves and breath trapped in her lungs, the brunette patiently waited for an answer.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>Due to the considerable number of worried messages the woman had begun to send, Rita could not contain a cackle, followed by a fit of laughter. Did she look so serious that the poor thing thought it was Vilgefortz or that she had gotten Tissaia into trouble just for flirting with her?</p><p>Surely, if he had set out to stalk the conversations, the wounds on the chestnut body would be much more serious right now and who knew if it would not have gone any further. But that was something Margarita preferred to think about later —maybe with a knife on her hand—, now delighting in the comical reaction of the younger one. It was her laughter that woke Tissaia, who, confused and even sleepy, took her cell phone out of her hands to see what she was doing. Any trace of sleep disappeared from her face, replaced by the red of her cheeks, consequence of the mixture of anger, anxiety and shame.</p><p> </p><p>"Margarita Laux-Antille, what the fuck have you done?" It was the use of her full name and the second word of her question that caused the blonde to realize that she had really upset Tissaia.</p><p> </p><p>Despite what everyone might think, Tissaia de Vries was a highly patient woman who rarely got truly angry. She never raised her voice, never swore or used incorrect vocabulary, never let any emotion be reflected in the pitch of her voice. Therefore, the moment the word “<em>fuck</em>” left her lips, Rita raised an eyebrow and kept her suspicions to herself. She let the chestnut type something on her cell phone, before shrug and answer her question.</p><p> </p><p>"What you didn't dare do, talk to her," despite the cheeky way she said it, her voice was cautious and soft.</p><p> </p><p>"Do you realize that you almost scared her to death? Besides, I have no reason to talk to her".</p><p> </p><p>"It was unintentionally... But come on, you have to admit that it was funny," the blonde placed a hand on Tissaia's arm very carefully, "and she hasn't even been able to stop flirting indirectly with you or while apologizing for doing so," Rita didn’t ask her friend why she cared that much if she scared the girl to death, it wasn’t really neccesary.</p><p> </p><p>When the chestnut did not turn away, Margarita’s touch became a caress that ran through her biceps from top to bottom again and again, until, after a few minutes of silence, Tissaia's body began to relax and her expression softened. Her jaw no longer had a tight posture and her pupils had returned to their usual size, having been reduced to two black dots in the middle of a sea of pale icy blue.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm sorry, I promise I won't do it again," Rita whispered, circling her shoulders with one arm and leaving a kiss on her temple, "come to bed with me?"</p><p> </p><p>It wasn’t really a question if not for the questioning flexion at the end, but Tissaia nodded, still without a word, and waited for her to let go so she could stand up. She had completely forgotten the way she had cut the woman with violet eyes until her cell phone vibrate with a new message, making her stomach drop and her whole body get cold.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>'Where the fuck are you?'</em>
</p><p> </p><p>The message was not from Yennefer this time, but it also managed to disable any mental barriers that Tissaia had created around herself, leading her to release the phone and drop it to the ground. Rita didn't need anything else to get an idea of what was going on. Before agreeing to spend the night at home, the chestnut had made at least ten different excuses and all they had managed to do was to exasperate Rita. However, the woman could get an idea about the real reason Tissaia preferred to go home being the man who abused her,; she also knew than running away once and for all was much more complex and much more entrenched than the fear that Vilgefortz could inspire Tissaia. On the other hand, that didn't change the fact that the blonde was willing to do the impossible to protect one of the most important people in her life.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm going to reply," Margarita crouched down to pick up the phone and waited for confirmation from the woman to proceed, but Tissaia was standing motionless, clearly terrified. Suddenly furious, which was atypical on her, it took every last drop of self-control from the blonde to hold back and not go upstairs and beat the man up, just as she tried not to insult him, worried about the consequences that might have for Tissaia. She could hear how some things were throwed or broken in the apartment above.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>'It's Rita. Tissaia passed out this afternoon in her office and I brought her home to examine her, she's woken up a few times and she's fine, but she's got a concussion and she needs to rest. Since I guess you don't want me to go talk to the police, I hope you keep a cautious distance from her from now on. And don't even think about using that or I'll spend the rest of my life ruining your existence'</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>‘Fucking bitch’. 'Tell her we'll talk when she gets home.'</em>
</p><p> </p><p>It was a threat, that much was obvious, but she knew that Vilgefortz would do nothing too stupid as long as Tissaia's body showed what was going on in her home, so he would stay away from her for the next few days. Margarita planned to take care of gathering her clothes and giving her asylum as long as she needed to, because she knew that chestnut wouldn't let her do anything else.</p><p>The next thing she did, after deleting the conversation with the idiot, was to return Tissaia's cell phone back in the chat with Yennefer. She smiled slightly, as she placed a lock of hair behind her friend’s ear.</p><p> </p><p>"You should say good night to your not so secret admirer, I'm sure she's on the verge of nervous breakdown," it took a while for Tissaia to react, but she finally picked up the phone.</p><p> </p><p>While Rita sent a message to Vanielle and Triss so they would verify her story if someone —surely sent by Vilgefortz— asked them about Tissaia, the chestnut silently looked at her own device screen, not knowing exactly what to tell the violet-eyed woman. With a trembling sigh she began to write as she walked, dragged to bed by the blonde.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>'I promise to explain all on Saturday, I'm sorry about all this mess.' 'And, although it is relatively complex to wish someone good night, since the night itself cannot be good or bad. Good night, Piglet'</em>
</p><p> </p><p>The message appeared as read instantly and seconds later, the response had already been sent and read.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>'So our date still stands?' ‘I didn’t fuck it up?’</em>
</p><p> </p><p>With her lower lip caught between her teeth, still altered by her husband's message and ignoring Rita's curious gaze, the chestnut responded by sheer instinct.</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>'Yes you still want to, yes.' 'And watch your tongue, we already had this conversation, didn’t we?'</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>'Then I hope you have a good night too.' 'Because I was going to say I wish you had a beautiful night, but I'm sure you would have lectured me that the night can't be beautiful.' 'Anyway, if you wanted to see my tongue again, you could have just asked me'.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia smiled and sat on the bed, tilting her head so Rita could see the phone screen without difficulty. After all, it was impossible to hide any information from the most gossipy woman Thanedd University had ever known.</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>'It's just that the night can't be beautiful.'</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>'That's obvious, you hold all the beauty of the world.'</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Rita laughed at the color of the chestnut cheeks and settled into bed, pouring the sheet over the legs of they both.</p><p> </p><p><em>'You're definitely incorrigible.' </em>Although she did not intend to answer anything else, an idea quickly crossed Tissaia's mind, forcing her to add one last topic to the conversation. <em>'Even though the one texting before wasn't me, my friend wasn't lying... I do hope that your offer of using your hoodie to avoid the loss of heat t is still standing, although if it bothers you I can take it off and ask her for something.'</em></p><p> </p><p>"I can't believe you just said that to her, Ti," Rita was one step away from going to make popcorn, her position hindering the chestnut's ability to write, "I think she has a huge crush on you and I don’t think she can be able to sleep now".</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>'Are you wearing my hoodie as pjs?'</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>'Only if it doesn't bother you.'</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p><em>'Ofc it doesn't bother me, in fact, it must be the sexiest image that any living being with eyes could contemplate in its whole life</em>’<em>. ‘Shame I won’t get a photo, am I?’ ‘I think I am going to combust but…’ ‘I'm curious to know if you're wearing anything else underneath.'</em> Yennefer knew she was playing with fire again, but he couldn't help it, it was in his nature.</p><p> </p><p>On the verge of spontaneous combustion she herself, Tissaia turned her head to meet Rita's eyes a few inches from her own. The blonde could see the question reflected in her eyes and the decision she had made, even if she hadn't noticed yet. Carefully, she took the phone out of her hands, so it was Rita who answered her this time.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>'I'll leave that to your imagination.'</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>"Fuck," was little more than a whisper from the brunette. At that point, both Jaskier and Sabrina had their heads on either side of theirs, trying to read everything the woman wrote to Yennefer. The brunette's cheeks showed more than she would like, her whole body dealing with more heat than usual and her mind creating fully up-to-tone images.</p><p> </p><p>"Sleep at a friend's house, that kind of answers… That woman has serious marital problems," Jaskier said. "I think you almost have her and you didn’t even use that nice butt you have".</p><p> </p><p>"I don't know if she has her, but she certainly knows how to turn anyone on," Sabrina looked at her two flatmates; It had been less than three minutes since she had returned home from her ship in Cintra and Jaskier had lasted half second before dragging her into that little drama.</p><p> </p><p>"Fuck," Yennefer repeated, realizing now what had clearly been implied while writing that message, even if the brunette hadn't realized, this time, that it wasn't <em>the prettiest woman in the </em>world who had done it.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm finishing your dinner, you go to sleep, I don't want to have to pick up your ashes in the middle from the kitchen floor," the blonde was mocking, but she also grabbed Jaskier off the shirt and forced him to sit at the table with her.</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer merely nodded and stood up to get out of there, barely noticing her friends. Her mind was full of explicit images that all they managed to do was to raise the heat in both in the hallway and her own room, how could she now take out of her head the image of the woman with brown hair wearing only her hoodie, without wearing anything else underneath and spending the whole night with the garment on? That was impossible and, as Yennefer realized it, she also began to think that she did not want to have that garment back, he preferred to spend the nights imagining that it was<em> Sky</em> who wore it, who used it in her sleep, while she read a book, while touching...</p><p>And that was the thought that brought the brunette to the edge, her mind being unable to think of anything else to do other than that. Jaskier may have been wrong and her married life was not a disaster; but if no one knew what Yennefer was doing in the solitude of her room, drowning out any sound against the pillow and imagining the chestnut giving her orders, what harm could she do?</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Heat</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I don't usually do chapter summaries because I don't know how to summarize and I think that knowing what happens can spoil the fun, but if you want me to start making them, please thell me.</p><p>Also, this chapter is longer than usual because I wrote it more than 1 week ago and probably I won't have time to translate the next 2 I already have written, so instead of splitting it on 2, I just made one (next is also +7k, this is 8k, so take it calmly). Any comment or idea is welcome, because when I figure it out how to fix the little drama coming in chapter 8, I may need ideas for dates ;)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As every morning, Yennefer was the first to send a message and, as every morning, it was instantly answered. Maybe for someone else that might seem stupid, but after two days, the brunette was starting to get used to it. The conversations between the two extended throughout the day, as both worked and therefore it took time to read and respond to the messages. Neither of them asked personal questions, almost as if they feared that in doing so reality would stand in the way and ruin that kind of friendship that was growing between the two, even when neither of them knew the real name of the other.</p><p>Without taking her eyes off her cell phone screen, Yennefer dropped into her chair, distractingly placing her purse on Rita's desk. The blonde was busy reviewing some papers, so she didn't pay any more attention than she needed to say hello. What happened lately to everyone that they didn't take off their phones? First Tissaia and now her assistant. With a gentle head movement, the older put the papers aside and took a textbook, in which she began to look for something.</p><p>At some point, Yennefer had got up and left the office to return a couple of minutes later with two cups full of coffee. She approached Rita's desk and left the green one on the wood, before returning to her own table and taking a seat, surrounding the black cup with her two hands to warm them up.</p><p> </p><p>"Yennefer," Margarita did not look up from the book, "why did you choose to study medicine? You never answered when I asked that question in class".</p><p> </p><p>Silence was the only answer that question got for a while, enough for the blonde to raise her head and look to the other woman, who had stared at the contents of the cup, immersed in her own thoughts. It was pretty much the same thing she had done the first time she asked, although that time there were sixty fewer students, so Rita was still hoping to get an answer.</p><p> </p><p>"Because I have a debt, I owe something to someone," a trembling thread of voice was the only thing that came out of the young woman's lips. She had never told anyone that, not even Sabrina, and they were best friends since kinder, "when I was sixteen, my life was hell. My stepfather was a shit and an alcoholic, my mother had two jobs, so she only came home to sleep, my older brothers were just like him and me... Well, I was very different," she drank a ship of coffee, still not looking at the blonde, "in high school they'd been bullying me since I had memory, but once they went too far and I couldn't take it anymore, so..." Yennefer sighed and closed her eyes. She left the cup on the table the moment her hands started shaking in the face of the avalanche of memories, "I couldn't stand my life, so I thought it would be best to take it down at once, anyway no one would care... But someone found me and took me to the hospital," she opened her eyes and slowly took air. "And there… There was someone who did care. The truth is, I don't remember too much of that day, just the voice of the woman who saved my life and what she told me. Not only did she sew me, she also gave me a reason to go on living, to fight, and to prove everyone wrong," a little smile was drawn on Yennefer's lips, "I can't remember her face or her voice, but I can remember the debt I have to her. If she hadn't saved me, I wouldn't be the woman I am now, I wouldn’t have had a chance to save lives and create a legacy. Besides, her suture is the best I've ever seen, she left almost no scar on me," she shrank her shoulders, "I suppose she knew that if I decided to listen to her and be more than a flower that died, the more discreet the reminders of that day, the better."</p><p> </p><p>A moment of silence followed that story, while Rita passed a hand through each of her cheeks, discreetly.</p><p> </p><p>"Have I told you that sometimes you talk like my ex?" The comment caused the brunette to finally decide to look at her boss, even if anything she went to say was delegated to her mind, as a cheerful melody startled them.</p><p> </p><p>The sound of the phone resting on Margarita's desk lit up as the song continued to play, so both women exchanged a quick glance before the blonde grabbed it  and, after seeing who it was, put on  the speaker.</p><p> </p><p>"Triss, good morning, I've got you on speaker, what do you need?"</p><p> </p><p>"Good morning, Rita," the woman smiled across the line.</p><p> </p><p>"Triss?" Having put her own phone aside, the brunette approached her boss's desk to leave a couple of forms, "is the love of my life who I am listening two?".</p><p> </p><p>"Yenna!" The chestnut voice was much livelier now.</p><p> </p><p>"I've missed that sexy voice you have," Yennefer sat in front of Rita.</p><p> </p><p>"Be careful, Brina will punch you if she hears you, "I’ll only hope your new girlfriend is not the jealous type!"</p><p> </p><p>"She'd say I’m right, clearly, and then she’d threaten me for flirting with her girlfriend," Yennefer shook her head, her cheeks red now, "she’s not my girlfriend, just my future wife".</p><p> </p><p>"As much as I'm interested in this conversation, that I hope I’ll have more details about soon, I'm sure it wasn't the initial thing you called for," Rita rolled her eyes, regretting not being able to find out everything at the time.</p><p> </p><p>"Oh, yes, I'm sorry," both women could imagine the color of Triss's face, "Tissaia asked me to ask if you had been able to get her the microbiology and surgery plans".</p><p> </p><p>"Shit," with a deep sigh, the blonde put the book aside, "I’ve forgotten again, she's going to kill me".</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer raised both eyebrows, curious to know why one of the physics professors would need the class planification for two medical subjects, which were also taught by one of the most famous and best-known professors in the entire university. Everyone knew the famous Vilgefortz Roggeveen, the best neurosurgeon on the Continent, professor at Thanedd University and vice president of the Brotherhood of Doctors; he was an icon and role model for any aspiring doctor. Although, now that the brunette thought so, hadn't Triss said that the witch was married to him? Surely, if Yennefer found men to be minimally attractive, she would envy that woman's position. Vilgefortz was like a sex symbol for all her classmates, despite she couldn’t see anything special in his appearance.</p><p> </p><p>Ignoring her assistant's curious gaze, Margarita laid down in the chair, waiting for Triss to finish communicating to Tissaia her oblivion. Her brain seemed to go at full speed, like looking for a way to solve that problem in a matter of seconds. On the other side the chestnut voice seemed to be heard, in the distance, but it was almost impossible to know what she was saying for it wasn’t more than a whisper.</p><p> </p><p>"Rita," Triss now sounded worried, "are you sure you can't get it?"</p><p> </p><p>"I'd have to sneak into his office, I don't think he'd pick up the phone after the other day, why?"</p><p> </p><p>"Shit".</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer's eyebrows almost reached her hairline. Triss cursing? The world was going to end and no one had warned her? Because if that was going to happen, there was at least one thing she wanted to do, before all that happened… Could the world end wait until Saturday?</p><p> </p><p>"Triss..." The blonde seemed to be threatening her, though it was hard to know why.</p><p> </p><p>"She's going to call him," was little more than a whisper, so the brunette wasn't sure she understood correctly.</p><p> </p><p>"Tell her there's no need and I already have the papers, then entertain her for at least twenty minutes while Yennefer and I sneak into his office and steal his damned documents".</p><p> </p><p>"We going to do what?" By exchanging her gaze between her phone and the woman, the younger one did not know whether to be worried or delighted with the idea of a teacher giving her permission to sneak into another teacher's office.</p><p> </p><p>With a dramatic sigh, Triss nodded, even if nobody was looking at her.</p><p> </p><p>"Be careful, he was, technically, taking the flight ten minutes ago, so you shouldn't have a problem and... Well, I'm glad we can count on Yenna's criminal abilities".</p><p> </p><p>"Hey! Forcing locks doesn't have to be a criminal skill! Just one skill!"</p><p> </p><p>"Sure, of course," both Triss and Rita smiled slightly.</p><p> </p><p>"We'll take the papers to you in a little while, Triss, see you later".</p><p> </p><p>"See you in a little while, sweetheart. But if I don’t make it to my Saturday date and I end up in jail, I hope you take care of my cactus".</p><p> </p><p>"Goodbye Rita, drama queen," another sigh, clearly more concerned.</p><p> </p><p>When the communication was cut off, Yennefer's eyes rested on Rita's, reflecting all the questions the youngest did not know how to start formulating at that moment. The teacher, however, stood up and held her gaze with both eyebrows raised.</p><p> </p><p>"I hope you really know how to force locks and I hate having to ask you this, but..."</p><p> </p><p>"It’s okay, I've sneaked into more places than you could count, but why do we do this? Wouldn't it be easier to ask Professor Roggeveen for the documents?" Margarita's expression was enough to answer the second question.</p><p> </p><p>"I know that what I'm going to ask you isn't fair, Yennefer, but I need you to trust me and not ask questions".</p><p> </p><p>The silence lasted a couple of seconds before the brunette shrugged her shoulders and then nodded. She didn't know what was going on, but if Triss was involved and had approved it, and her favorite teacher and boss asked her... How bad could that be?</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer grabbed a couple of clips from above Margarita's desk and followed her outside the office, down the hallways of the building. The truth was that she had no idea where Professor Roggeveen's office was, so she had no choice but to be guided by the older wherever they went. Instead of taking the elevator, they used the stairs to climb the fifth floor, which only caused more questions to accumulate in the young woman's mind.</p><p>The place that appeared before Yennefer's eyes as she turned the corner had nothing to do with the one where she had been working so far; both the floor and the décor of the hallway seemed ten times more expensive than those of lower corridors. Hadn't Triss said an assistant had recently been fired? Had they used the entire budget of her salary to improve that particular place? With a grimace of disdain, Yennefer deliberately ignored the door of the rector's office and walked to where Rita had stopped. Without one more word, the brunette pulled out the clips she had previously taken and undid them.</p><p>Opening the door only took a minute, as its mechanism was the simplest and had no kind of security beyond a normal lock. On the other side of the entrance stretched an office that almost doubled the size of Rita's, a black desk full of papers, a computer, a lamp and a portrait that would probably have a photo; shelves full of books on medicine, some objects and mock-ups; a round table with several chairs, probably used for meetings; a sofa that seemed quite comfortable, a minibar and three filing cabinets.</p><p>Both women came in and closed the door behind them, so that no one could guess they were inside the office. Margarita went straight to the wall where the filing cabinets were, beginning to rummage through each other with as much care and stealth as she could. Yennefer, unable to stand still, decided that the best thing she could do while the eldest was looking was to gossip about what was in that office. First she approached the desk and took the portrait, analyzing the people in it; it was clear that the man was Vilgefortz, but the woman who kissed his cheek did not seem familiar to her —black hair, dark brown eyes, soft features and red lips, wearing a black velvet dress, adorned with white pearls and a smile—, also she did not fit too much with her mental image of Tissaia. She probably wasn't the same with her husband than when terrorizing her students, so Yennefer shrugged and left the portrait back at the desk, along with what looked like a forgotten wedding ring —possibly too uncomfortable to wear for a surgeon.</p><p> </p><p>"I've got it, let’s go," Rita's whisper caught her eye, so she could only nod, approach the door and check that there was no one before going out and closing it behind them.</p><p> </p><p>The adrenaline had altered Yennefer's senses to the point that, even once inside the blonde's office, her heart continued to hammer violently against her chest. That feeling always led her to do stupid things, such as taking her cell phone and responding to the last message Sky had sent her.</p><p> </p><p><em>'Another boring morning, then?' </em> It was the message of the chestnut she had not yet read.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>'Well, I just sneaked into a teacher's office... I think it's a very exciting morning.'</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Recognizing a crime by text was probably not the best idea in the world, but what she didn't expect was the other woman's instant response.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>'Have you sneaked into a professor's office?! Do you know the consequences that something like this could have?!' 'Wait, what do you mean, a teacher?' 'How old are you, Piglet?'</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Yennefer's laughter attracted Rita's attention, but the brunette merely shook her head and downplayed her.</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>'I'm 27, don't worry so much, you're not raiding any cribs.'</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>'Of course I'm not raiding any cribs, I'm in my office.' 'But I'd be worried that someone of the age of a student was hell-bent on flirting with someone of my age.'</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>'You know exactly what I meant.' 'And what about someone your age? You can't be more than 33'.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>'I'm 37.'</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>'Really?' ‘Fuck, that’s hot’ ‘Are you a teacher? Because that would be the last check to fulfil my fantasies’ 'Who did you sell your soul to so you’d always look young and beautiful? I'm interested in making one myself too.'</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>‘Yes, I am, that’s why I don’t like you sneaking into another teacher’s offices’. 'And don't say stupid things, you're already beautiful.'  'And young'.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer opened her eyes much more, blushing and smiling like an idiot reading that message. Suddenly, she was so nervous and happy, as well as affected by adrenaline, to come up with a discreet response.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>‘You see, I’d sneak in yours, but I don’t have the address, yet’. 'And yes, maybe I am young and beautiful, but I haven't been sculpted in marble by the gods like you.'</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>‘Maybe someday you will, if you are lucky’. ‘But don’t sneak in’. 'Also, you know it would be impossible to breathe life into a marble statue, right?'</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>'The way you talk to me always leaves me aphasic'</em>
</p><p> </p><p>"Hm... Rita," Yennefer murmured, without raising her gaze from her cell phone.</p><p> </p><p>"Yes?" The blonde was putting the papers they had stolen in her purse, but she looked at the young woman curiously.</p><p> </p><p>"How would you make a person who ignores your compliments understand that she is the prettiest woman in the world?</p><p> </p><p>"Depends, is kissing her an option?" Rita wrinkled her nose, thoughtfully.</p><p> </p><p>"No, I don’t think I could nor should do that," she said while rolling her eyes as she read the new message.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>'I'll pretend I haven't read such a bad joke.'</em>
</p><p> </p><p>"In that case, insist until it gets into her head..." She hung the bag on her shoulder, "you can always tell her if she has fallen from heaven, because she looks like an angel, or something about ‘fuck me if I’m wrong".</p><p> </p><p>"All right, I'll try those and see how it's going".</p><p> </p><p>"Good luck, your future wife seems like a challenge... See you in class in twenty minutes".</p><p> </p><p>"She is, but she’s worth it. See you later, Rita".</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer waited until the woman had disappeared from her sight to return all her attention to the mobile and she started typing the first of the options.</p><p> </p><p>'Did you come from heaven? Because you look like an angel.'</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>'At most, I've come from my office... But thank you for telling me that I look like a horrible mythological being full of eyes and rings.' </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer snorted, second choice then.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>'Fuck me if I'm wrong, but there are nine planets in the solar system.'</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>'Pluto has long since ceased to be considered a planet, but I don't understand what that comment is related to right now.'</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>The brunette passed both hands over her face, momentarily leaving her phone on the table. She was going to need a better strategy than that, because even Rita's phrases weren't having an effect.</p><p> </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>Sh'd spent hours deciding what to wear. It wasn't the same to get dressed for a night out and meet a beautiful woman, to dress up for a drink with that same very beautiful woman, so Yennefer had to think well about which garments she’d select to impress her.</p><p>Not that the young woman was an idiot and wanted to get into the middle of a relationship, but she certainly wasn't going to drop a coffee that the chestnut took her, nor would she make her cry in the rain in the middle of a park... Maybe Tissaia's partner should have thought of it better, if he didn't want anyone to look at her wife and give her a better deal than feeling bad all the time. While Yennefer knew that what she was doing was not right, she was also aware that she could settle for just being her friend... what kind of person would be idiotic enough to limit Tissaia's presence in her life to a mere romantic or sexual relationship? No, if she didn't want to flirt back or accept her attempts at conquest, she was fine, but she was confident that she would at least let her be her friend and worry about her well-being.</p><p>With a deep sigh and only her trousers on, Yennefer dropped into bed and stared at the ceiling in silence. What was wrong with her? She had always been the kind of person who fucked first and asked later, why she suddenly wanted to be friends with a person she hardly knew, just to make sure she kept her in her life? Yennefer was almost certain that it had nothing to do with stupid things like love at first sight, that was for people who had no other aspirations in life and the brunette had a lot of unfinished business to do, so that wasn't an option... But how would she know that she had never fallen in love, distinguish the difference between segregated Serotonin by seeing a person who was physically attracted to her and feeling something beyond that attraction? She had never been in love before, so she couldn’t really tell how it was.</p><p>According to Sabrina, she was being an idiot, as she refused to acknowledge that she really liked Sky, while spending the day glued to her cell phone, talking to her about any nonsense —of course she had not mentioned anything about Sky being the blonde boss's sister, because she didn't want that to influence her judgment. According to Jaskier, Yennefer should sleep with the first person she found who was hot, because it was nothing more than a crush she needed to get over, because it wasn’t more than a distraction and she needed to behave as if she was a student again, at the beginning of the course. Geralt, at most, had growled; and Triss took every opportunity to ask her about <em>Sky, </em>adoring being present in the front row to see such a "romantic" story.</p><p> </p><p>Why did everything have to be so complicated?</p><p> </p><p>After shouting against the pillow to dampen the sound, the young woman tried to stop thinking about anything other than the next right thing. First a bra, then a semi-transparent black shirt with long sleeves, then low heels —Sky was smaller than expected— and finally loose hair. Second, take a cab. She had been too distracted to get there on time by walking and, even if by Sabrina she knew that until eight-thirty they did not open the bar, her date was at six o'clock and she did not believe that the chestnut was the kind of person who appreciated the lack of punctuality.</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer got out of the cab and ran to Cintra's entrance, just as the clock changed to give the six. She had rushed to the last second, yet there was the chestnut, leaning against the brick wall by the door, looking curious in her direction. Was it a funny glow that Yennefer saw in her eyes? With a half-smile and unable to take her eyes off the woman's body, the brunette approached and stopped in front of her. Seeing a raised eyebrow, possibly questioning that cheeky examination of her anatomy, Yennefer tried to hide her blush and rushed to speak.</p><p> </p><p>"I had to make sure you didn't have the hoodie".</p><p> </p><p>"I didn't say anything," separating herself from the wall, the chestnut gave her a shy smile and then went to the door, keeping it open for Yennefer to pass, "I hope you didn't mind me asking to come before the bar opened, but I promised my sister that I would come today too, and I thought it wouldn't be appropriate to meet you while I work.</p><p> </p><p>"So you knew it would hurt me if I didn't have your full attention?" While Yennefer raised an eyebrow, she was surprised when Tissaia nodded distractedly. Confirmation had caused her stomach to wallow and the heat to spread throughout her body; it was the first time anyone had thought of her that way, and yet, her tongue betrayed her, "and don’t worry about asking me to come, I’d do it anytime".</p><p> </p><p>Trying to ignore the last comment, the short woman led her to the bar and instructed her to take a seat, before turning around and getting into the other side of the bar. She was wearing a white shirt with a short V-neck that left almost everything to imagination, as well as black jeans and high heels.</p><p> </p><p>"Do you know what you want to have today?"</p><p> </p><p>"Well, I still want to have you," the young lady winked at her just to see how she rolled her eyes, "but I guess I'll have to settle for a beer".</p><p> </p><p>"Yes, you're going to have to settle for that, dear" the blush was mild, but appreciable on Tissaia's pale skin. The woman crouched down, pulled a beer and a soda out of one of the fridges and placed them on the bar, next to two glasses, one cold and the other with ice. Yennefer was too distracted by all her movements to dare to speak like a normal person. "From what I can see, you haven't been arrested yet," Yennefer's confused face forced her to explain, as she circled the bar to sit on the stool next to the brunette, "for sneaking into a teacher's office, I mean".</p><p> </p><p>"Well, if you have handcuffs, I'd happily let you to arrest me".</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia elbowed her so softly, in such a timid move, that the brunette struggled to decide whether it had passed or been her imagination, while trying not to melt.</p><p> </p><p>"Hey! You can't blame me for being human," she protested, before taking the beer bottle to her lips and giving it a ship.</p><p> </p><p>"There's no biological reason for you to want me to put handcuffs on you, Piglet," the word caused Yennefer to almost choke.</p><p> </p><p>"Do you really want me to explain to you the biological reaction that would justify me doing it?" She turned to look the woman in the eye, marveling at her curved lips in a smile that eclipsed any pink color on her cheeks. That was an image she could never tire of seeing, "I will take your silence as a yes, then".</p><p> </p><p>"Don't even think about it," Tissaia bit her lower lip, throwing away any effort to sound serious. Why couldn’t she erase the smile on her lips?</p><p> </p><p>"You see, when a person receives a specific series of stimuli, her body interprets that--" with a frown, it took Yennefer a while to recognize what was preventing her from continuing to speak, until she felt the cold and thin shape of the woman's left index against her lips.</p><p> </p><p>The young woman's mouth was ajar and her breath grazed the skin of the phalanx, caressing it and causing that what had tried to be a simple and unimportant gesture turned into something that significantly raised the temperature of the empty room. Yennefer moved her mouth slightly, in a vain attempt to speak again, only getting the finger to press on her lips with a little more force. Tissaia's darker blue eyes were nailed to the violet irises and they refused to abandon them.</p><p> </p><p>"I told you not to even think about it," for some reason, Tissaia was whispering.</p><p> </p><p>"Well, you’d better look for a better way to shut me up," she whispered, even if moving her lips meant that Tissaia's finger ended up running through the expansion of her lower lip, before disappearing completely.</p><p> </p><p>"Would you rather I ruin your vocal cords or throw you out?" Two octaves lower, the chestnut's voice was almost threatening.</p><p> </p><p>"I'd rather you make me scream until you ruin my vocal cords," Yennefer murmured in answer, moving forward due to the loss of contact.</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer's movement was unconsciously imitated by Tissaia, until only a few centimeters separated them.</p><p> </p><p>"Do you know how easy it would be for me to take that literally?"</p><p> </p><p>"Mhm, am I going to have to start talking again, then? I can also clarify that I want you to fuck me, if that’s easier".</p><p> </p><p>Almost in an instinctive motion, Tissaia's hand returned to her face, though this time it stayed on her cheek, instead of trying to seal her lips, where she stroked the lower one with a trembling thumb. What was she doing? She had spent the whole week convincing herself that it was just a meeting with a potential friend. She wasn't supposed to be that close to her, not touching her, not thinking about kissing her. Of course, Tissaia wasn't thinking about kissing the brunette, that was just a stupid idea that<em> hadn't</em> gone through her mind, just as she wasn't listening to an imaginary Rita yell at her just to do it at once either, and she wasn't looking at the younger red and probably sweet lips either. For a moment, the chestnut felt that the heart was going to come out of her chest at any time, which was stupid, because she knew that it was physically impossible for that to happen without external factors and that it was only due to the segregation of hormones from her own body; but that led her to wonder why the hell her body behaved that way, when it was clear that it was not appropriate. Why was her whole being against her head and what she knew was right? It hadn't even been more than fifteen minutes since they had crossed the door together and yet the brunette had managed to break down almost all of her barriers and eliminate her resistance to her charm, with only a couple of phrases and a smile. And yet, their breaths were mixing due to the proximity between their lips, their foreheads now pressed.</p><p>Yennefer moved slightly, having abandoned the other woman's eyes more than fifteen seconds ago to look at her lips, too attracted to them and with total intention of closing the distance between the two and kissing the woman who had kept her awake for so many nights for the last two weeks, but, before her lips caught up touching those of Tissaia, a clearing throat caused the two to be surprised and separate as if the other one suddenly burned.</p><p>The young woman had not realized how fast her heart was beating, how heavy both her breathing and Tissaia's had turned, or how the pupils of both had practically erased the color of their eyes. The chestnut turned her head to stare at the bottle-filled bookshelf on the other side of the bar, while doing her best to calm down, without even bothering to find out who had saved her from making the stupidest mistake of the day. Yennefer, however, did turn her head to one side to look who was leaning against the door frame of what looked like an office, next to the end of the bar.</p><p>For some reason —possibly because she was discovered before she kissed Tissaia and not because of the soft, warm touch of her hand in the area— Yennefer's cheeks were burning and her mind was unable to spin more than two words and make sense of them. Thus, in the curious and skeptical gaze of the owner of Cintra, her two raised eyebrows and her arms crossed, Yennefer tried to fill the silence in the best way she could —for, unlike the one she had kept with the chestnut for the more than two minutes that they had been looking at each other eyes or lips, it was the kind of silence Yennefer hated.</p><p> </p><p>"Hey Calanthe".</p><p> </p><p>As she pronounced the words, the brunette saw the color on Tissaia's face intensified. The woman still ignored her sister's presence, and even seemed to be deliberately ignoring Yennefer's own existence too. The moment was more than broken.</p><p> </p><p>"Hello, Yen. I'm glad to see you in my bar again, although I didn't think you'd be the <em>friend</em> my sister had left with," the emphasis on that word was so brazen that Tissaia bowed her head, as if she was being teased. "I didn't know I was interrupting something, I'm sorry," she had to bite her inside cheek so he wouldn't laugh at the two women behavior.</p><p> </p><p>"No... We were just going to... Start preparing everything," Tissaia murmured, in a voice worthy of a girl who had just been scolded.</p><p> </p><p>"Yes. I was just telling her that I would love to help her..."</p><p> </p><p>"Clean the tables".</p><p> </p><p>"Exactly, clean the tables," Yennefer nodded, very convinced of that.</p><p> </p><p>"In that case, I guess you won't mind me joining you, will you?"</p><p> </p><p>If Calanthe had been able to portray the expression of annoyance that betrayed much more than the two women would ever dare to acknowledge, she would have made it delighted. On the one hand, Tissaia wrinkled her nose and twisted the corner of her lips lightly —for years the eldest had learned to read and interpret the microexpressions of her face—, on the other hand, Yennefer composed a grimace and frowned, before realizing it and replacing both with a half-smile. The chestnut took the soda to her lips, hoping to avoid having to say something else or just keep existing for the next hour, but her companion couldn't help but respond to Calanthe's comment.</p><p> </p><p>"Well, I wouldn't oppose a threesome," with a grin, Yennefer got Tissaia to choke and attract the full attention of both women.</p><p> </p><p>Calanthe approached, but merely leaned on the bar as he looked at both amused. She hadn't enjoyed a similar situation in a long time, and she really couldn't deny how much fun it was for her to see her sister's awkwardness when someone she liked made the slightest hint about it.</p><p>If there was one constant thing in Tissaia's life it was the fact that all the women involved in it tended to ignore the existence of Vilgefortz, as if it was nothing more than a piece of furniture in her house, as if they were not married or as if he simply did not exist at all. They all had reason to hate him, to say that Tissaia deserved better, but they often preferred to behave as if was not even present in her lifev—since Tissaia refused to divorce him. For her friends and family, Tissaia counted as a single woman and none bothered to disguise that thought; in fact, many times it almost seemed that they were determined to find her a new partner.</p><p> </p><p>"In that case, I'll talk to Eist about what he thinks," Yennefer's quick look at Tissaia was all the woman needed to widen her smile and put a hand on Tissaia's back, protectively, "but I won't be the one to get in the way of a nice <em>friendship…</em>"</p><p> </p><p>"And nothing better than cleaning tables to bond," Tissaia's sharp, strangled voice surprised them both, before she came across with cloths in their hands, "chop chop".</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer stared at the cloth, wondering where did it come from.</p><p> </p><p>"And I thought you were going to ask me nicely..." With a dramatic sigh, Yennefer composed a pout.</p><p> </p><p>"Get to clean tables before I kick your beautiful ass out of the bar, Yen".</p><p> </p><p>Although at first she thought it had been Calanthe who had said that due to the authoritarian tone of voice employed, she was sure that she had seen Tissaia's lips move and that the older woman would not have been able to burn all her nerves in a similar way with a hundred attempts. She was about to die and she hadn’t even realized Tissaia had paid attention to her butt at some point… Nor even that she had, indeed, said ass. Yennefer had not even realized that she <em>again </em>had stopped breathing because of the chestnut, nor that now her mind was able to imagine in a much more defined and detailed way what the woman's voice should sound like by screaming her name or giving her orders or... Gods, who had turned on the heat?</p><p> </p><p>"No one has turned on the heating," Tissaia murmured before coming down from the stool, making the young woman realize she had asked that out loud.</p><p> </p><p>By the time Yennefer turned, Calanthe was already finishing cleaning the first table, from which she had previously lowered the four chairs. How long had she spent looking at Tissaia's lips and imagining how her beauty could only be enhanced by hearing her say her name in the middle of an orgasm? Because she wasn't sure how she felt about it, other than excited.</p><p> </p><p>For about ten minutes, the three women limited themselves to sweeping, scrubbing, lowering chairs, cleaning tables, placing napkins and spreading menus across tables, silently and exchanging brief glances between them, not enough to eliminate the small tension that had been created since Calanthe's interruption.</p><p>Yennefer had been about to say something on several occasions, but something at the bottom of her mind told her that maybe with that she would only manage to annoy Sky and that it would be best to refrain from being the one who broke the silence, for once. Unconsciously, the tables they both were choosing were finding the same way, closer and closer, until they ended up in the same one, while Calanthe was practically on the other side of the bar. Tissaia, who had not noticed Yennefer's presence so close to her, was startled to see her almost by her side and dropped some of the soapy water from the bucket she was using. The brunette, who had not noticed, too distracted by looking at the woman’s hands, surrounded the table to rinse the cloth, passing over the puddle and slipping. The movement was sudden, kind of painful and abrupt, but Yennefer's body did not hit the ground.</p><p>Around her waist was one arm and another held her at shoulder-blade’s height, forcing her to maintain a delicate balance, lying between the strong arms that held her. To secure her position, Yennefer surrounded the shoulders of the woman holding her with one of her arms, narrowing the distance between the two bodies. She was sure that such a short person shouldn't be strong and athletic enough to have been able to hold her in time and continue to do so, but the blue eyes she found when she opened her eyelids confirmed that it had indeed been Tissaia who had avoided what could have been a fateful accident. The hands of them both stayed exactly where they were, not moving a single centimeter, although the chestnut did begin to pull Yennefer's body to force her to regain an upright position.</p><p> </p><p>"You should look where you're walking," Tissaia murmured, looking at her worried and removing her hand from her back, but not the one on her hip, "some flowers are not meant to die, you know?"</p><p> </p><p>"I was too busy looking at you," the sincerity of that response surprised them both, more than did the closeness of their bodies.</p><p> </p><p>"You could have opened your head," she snorted, "be more careful or you won’t be able to keep flirting with me".</p><p> </p><p>"The risk has been worth it..." Yennefer looked down at the other woman's hand on her hip and, realizing, the chestnut went back one step, forcing the contact to disappear.</p><p> </p><p>"Nothing would be worth you being hurt".</p><p> </p><p>"You are, but anyway, it was you who drop the water… You didn't get distracted by a lovely young lady, did you?"</p><p> </p><p>But the answer never came, being replaced instead by Calanthe's concerned voice, now much closer to both of them and probably unaware of the muttered conversation between the two of them.</p><p> </p><p>"What happened? Are you ok?"</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer nodded, but it was Tissaia who spoke.</p><p> </p><p>"At most the movement may have caused a tug in one of the vast, the abductor or the quadriceps, but nothing that cannot be solved with heat and a massage," the explanation was so neutral and casual that both dark-haired women nodded without adding anything else.</p><p> </p><p>"I hope helping us isn't going to affect your work," Calanthe walked away to go get the mop and clean the puddle.</p><p> </p><p>"Oh, I don't think so. I work for the second prettiest woman on the planet, which is also super nice, so I'm sure if I tell her my leg hurts, she'll just tell me to rest and limit myself to paperwork... Bored, but part of the work, after all," explained Yennefer.</p><p> </p><p>"The second prettiest?" Calanthe drained the mop and looked at her with a high eyebrow.</p><p> </p><p>"Of course, your sister is the first," Yennefer's smile was broad, sincere, and cheeky.</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia, with her eyes wide open, her cheeks a color close to scarlet red and her undisturbable mask shattered, merely looked silently at Yennefer. This time, Calanthe did not stop and let out a barking laugh, before approaching the violet-eyed woman and giving a couple of gentle pats on her back.</p><p> </p><p>"I'll be in the office, everyone must be arriving soon, so I'd better leave you alone as long as the calm lasts," said that, Calanthe turned around and walked away to her office, where she closed the door behind her.</p><p> </p><p>Both women remained silent until they heard the sound of the door closing, deciding then to look at each other again —although Tissaia had never stopped doing so, still processing that last compliment, too direct to be confused with something else or have a priority meaning. Yennefer laced her hands behind her back and bit her lower lip, before starting to sway on her heels. The mistake was obvious and the movement was interrupted almost instantly, her expression contorted into a sore grimace, the words of the chestnut returning to her mind now; she was right, the slip had caused the abductor to strain. An arm circled her waist and Yennefer was suddenly being forced to sit in a chair, despite her attempt to resist. The arm disappeared from her waist and then all Yennefer could feel was an incredibly hot hand perched on her thigh, burning even through the fabric of her jeans. Or was her own skin the one burning? It was hard to tell.</p><p> </p><p>"Can I?" Tissaia's voice reached the brunette's ears, but she could not even understand why she was asking her for permission.</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer nodded and the hand began to move around her leg, pressing in some areas, almost imperceptibly. The young woman was sure that if she hadn't died yet and gone to heaven, it would be likely that that beautiful woman would kill her from one moment to the next, just by touching her leg above the trousers. Yennefer was so focused trying to prevent a moan from leaving her lips that, when her fingers put pressure on the affected muscle, the sore whining did manage to escape her throat.</p><p> </p><p>"Sorry, it’s the abductor," whispered Tissaia, hoarsely, now merely caressing the inside of the thigh, following the path of the named muscle. Yennefer had had a hard time focusing her gaze and taking it off her hand, but when she did, she found Tissaia kneeling between her legs, staring her in the eye, one hand merely touching her knee, the other moving on her inner thigh, "as I said, heat and a massage should do," the contact that had previously only been two fingers, had now become the entire palm of the woman's hand , ripping Yennefer an unconscious gasp.</p><p> </p><p>"I think the heat thing is settled," she managed to mutter, striving to breathe calmly.</p><p> </p><p>"The least I can do after I am to blame for your falling, is to offer me to give you the massage," Tissaia's hand ascended again, following the abductor and ripping a little groan at the brunette.</p><p> </p><p>"You don't have to," she whispered, "though the only one falling from heaven were you, I only fell for you".</p><p> </p><p>"I want to do it," Yennefer's gaze turned to the other woman's lips as she heard that, but they quickly returned to her eyes, "and stop that nonsenses".</p><p> </p><p>"They are not nonsenses and I won’t stop until you believe me," Yennefer sighed and shook her head, "I'm sure Calanthe needs you tonight, but if you're still willing tomorrow, I could send you the address of my apartment..." Tissaia nodded, and Yennefer smiled, "will you walk me to the door?"</p><p> </p><p>"As long as you don’t ask me to walk you to the shrine, I can walk you almost anywhere…" Tissaia smiled and winked at her.</p><p> </p><p>"Not on our first date, love, though if you want to walk me to my bed…" Yennefer laughed.</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia rolled her eyes and shook her head, but this time she stood up, moving both her hands. When Yennefer did the same, the woman wrapped her waist with one arm, ready to help her walk to the door, something she did not intend to complain about. Both bodies were in a state close to combustion, probably the result of the tension that that afternoon had decided to accumulate between the two of them as well as it forced them to orbit around each other throughout the hour they had been together.</p><p>Neither of them was able to realize that it had been the same thing that had made Calanthe uncomfortable a second time, forcing her to leave so as not to feel so violent. Although it was not the first time she had tried to play her sister's carbine, it was the first time she had to leave uncomfortable for her and the person with her —that, considering she had been present when Margarita did not take her hands off Tissaia, or when Vilgefortz indirectly insulted her every time he addressed the woman.</p><p>When Yennefer and Tissaia reached the door and got out, they approached the sidewalk to call a taxi, as the younger one preferred not to disturb any of her flatmates for that silly accident. She was aware that all she had was a little strain and a big excuse to keep that beautiful woman around, so if she had to pretend it hurt a lot more than it did, or that she couldn't walk, how could anyone blame her?</p><p>Tissaia's hand rested on her hip, only getting the brunette's mind to create new scenarios, based on the touch of the limb through the clothes. Again, the image of the small woman’s voice giving her orders and saying her name clouded her thoughts, preventing her from listening to whatever she had told her —again, her eyes had ended up attracted to reddish kissable lips, too engrossed by the way they moved. When a second hand delicately stroked her face, placing a wild lock behind her ear, Yennefer forced herself to look up to those precious blue eyes and smiled embarrassed, causing Tissaia to repeat what she had said before.</p><p> </p><p>"Are you sure you don't want me to go home with you?"</p><p> </p><p>"I do," she replied instinctively, "but you have work here and I'm not going to move from there until Monday, so I won't be the one to deprive the customers of this place of the main reason to come," besides, Yennefer didn’t want guilt to be the only reason that made Tissaia go to her place, nor she being influenced by a very turned on situation.</p><p> </p><p>"I don't think you can drink all the cocktails on your own".</p><p> </p><p>"If that's a challenge, I'll be happy to prove that I can do anything if you ask me, but I meant your presence, not the drinks," Yennefer winked at the chestnut, with total brazenness.</p><p> </p><p>"I appreciate you warning me of your intentions to kidnap me, then," Tissaia pulled the younger woman to accompany her to the taxi that finally stopped in front of both of them.</p><p> </p><p>"And I thought you were going to be the one to put handcuffs on my wrists and arrest me," with an exaggerated pout, Yennefer tried to hide the rogue smile that only reflected in her eyes, "I could get used to having your hands on me all the time".</p><p> </p><p>"You, me, handcuffs... Must it always end this way?" Tissaia had rolled her eyes, but the shy smile and the color of her cheeks betrayed her more than would be expected. "You're definitely incorrigible, Piglet," she bent over to open the door, even if it caused her body to press even more to the one of the brunette, "try not to move the leg too much and take painkillers if it hurts too much".</p><p> </p><p>"That's how you like me," Yennefer winked again, before making an impulsive decision and crouching down to leave a brief kiss on Tissaia's cheek.</p><p> </p><p>The contact was as smooth as the flutter of a butterfly, but a thousand times warmer and with an effect that could be classified as catastrophic for the chestnut nervous system. Tissaia quietly said goodbye to all her neurons and the synaptic connections between them, as she watched the brunette getting into the car, closing the door and waving her hand in a goodbye. While the image of Yennefer's finger movement created a completely explicit mental image in Tissaia's mind, the woman was still processing that she had not been able to disprove what Yennefer had said. She had not been able to deny that she liked her this way because —as she was beginning to suspect— there was a possibility that she was right.</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia stood on the sidewalk for a few more minutes, contemplating the flow of traffic and struggling to take back the control over her body and the clarity of her mind. She was so doomed.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Just for the reccord, there are very few people who know about what Vilgefortz does to Tissaia, so don't be mad at Yen thinking he's a role model. For the world, he's the best neurosurgeon in the Continent and only five or six people know the kind of big shit he is; I wanted to reflect the fact that most times, people doesn't realize the real person inside of someone or they just let it slip because they are important.</p><p>It's pretty hard, but it happens, so I am sorry if it disturbed anyone, it wasn't my intention :(</p><p>PD: please, be careful and stay safe.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Tumour</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>What can I say except I love you all?</p><p>I just said that I wasn't going to be able to update soon, but somehow your comments gave me a little boost of energy and I started to write chapter 10 and then I thought, I need to give them some answers and a lot of more questions, because I am getting too hyped in my own mind and I need to know what they think about it.</p><p>So, until the weekend (if I finish my assignments), I won't be able to translate the chapter from Everything, but instead I will give you this one. I hope you do enjoy it! Thank you so much for keeping me this motivated with my writing and stories!!</p><p>All mistakes on my own, sorry, I don't have beta.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tissaia's consciousness took a few minutes to return to its usual and controlled state, so by the time she turned to Cintra's door, Mousesack already had one of his hands around the handle. The woman walked quickly to the door and curved her lips when the dark-skinned, radiant-smiled man turned his head to greet her. They hadn't seen each other since their shift the previous Saturday at the bar, so the chestnut could only be glad to see the man as wonderful as ever.</p><p> </p><p>"I hope you've had a good week," Tissaia smiled, subtly, but much more than she normally would.</p><p> </p><p>"Like yours?" The man raised his eyebrows repeatedly and walked beside her, ready to accompany her to the office at least. They were friends since children, so he was very fond of Tissaia.</p><p> </p><p>"Why do you say that?"</p><p> </p><p>"Because I can see it in your eyes, little skylark," the taller one gave way, bending his smile in a rogue way, "have you gotten rid of Vilgefortz yet? Because I don't think I've ever seen you so well and happy having him around".</p><p> </p><p>"Well…"</p><p> </p><p>"We haven't opened yet," an irritated voice reached both from across the bar, just as the voice owner turned around to face any intruders at the place. Although her expression of annoyance was minimally softened when her eyes warned of Mousesack's presence, for the waitress, the woman walking beside her remained an intruder.</p><p> </p><p>"Sabrina Glevissig," Tissaia sounded really surprised to realize that the woman behind the bar was nothing but one of her former students, "of all the places I expected to meet you, this was not one of them".</p><p> </p><p>"What...?" The blonde's frown wrinkled, for even having recognized who her teacher was, her presence at Cintra continued to be completely out of place... Not to mention she was wearing tight jeans, heels and a burgundy V-neck shirt with the only two buttons closed. Tissaia definitely managed to always be the most elegant anywhere, no matter how simple and casual she looked. "I'm serious, professor De... "</p><p> </p><p>"Tissaia!" Calanthe's voice cut off anything Sabrina would say, "if you've finished making friends, we still have to check the bills before we open," her head peeking out of the little hole she had opened at her office door, so that's when she realized the chestnut wasn't alone, "Sabrina,  Mousesack, good afternoon".</p><p> </p><p>"Good afternoon," both replied, the blonde still confused.</p><p> </p><p>With a look of apology, Tissaia hurried into the office with Calanthe, leaving the other two to continue their duties in sheer silence. The blonde had been so surprised to hear her boss's voice —not to mention her commenting that Tissaia was… Flirting?— that she had not even remembered asking the doorman what her quantum physics, quantum mechanics, relativity, and biomedical photonics teacher was doing at the bar where she worked, helping her boss with counts. That, setting aside that she was her girlfriend's boss.</p><p>In case Sabrina's head was spinning a few while making sure all the glasses were perfectly clean, the image that greeted her the next time she looked up left her speechless. Mousesack  approached the bar accompanying a woman who was supposed to be around the sixties as far as she was. The woman still had traces of dark locks among the sea of gray that was her mane, neatly combed, and her eyes a light green color, shone full of life and kindness; her clothes were based on a navy blue elegant-looking skirt suit, accompanied by a light-blue shirt and a pearl necklace that glowed with every move she gave. If anyone was to be the picture of elegance and poise, it was her. Clearly that woman had a lot of money and did not bother to hide it, although she did not seem like the typical wealthy woman with airs of superiority, despite the two men in black suits and sunglasses stationed at the door.</p><p>Mousesack gestured to the waitress, moving her head towards the office. Sabrina didn't need anything else to get close to the door and gently knock on her knuckles, to get instant approval so she could go in. Eist was sitting behind a desk, surrounded by papers and books, Calanthe had stopped circling the place and Tissaia was sitting in the chair that belonged to the owner of the place, her glasses resting on the edge of her nose while ignoring everything around her, too busy with the account book to worry about things that surely didn't go with her.</p><p> </p><p>"Sorry, uh... Mousesack has told me to call you, there's a lady at the bar," Sabrina snorted, not understanding why she had so much trouble explaining herself right now, refusing to blame it on the teacher's presence at Cintra.</p><p> </p><p>Calanthe frowned and approached the door to pee her head without any modesty. The tense expression of her face softened noticeably, as she turned to look over her shoulder.</p><p> </p><p>"We can finish that later."</p><p> </p><p>"That's what you said yesterday," Tissaia murmured, as the brunette got out of the room.</p><p> </p><p>"And yet I was right," the elder turned her eyes blank, and then smiled with mischief, "you're going to come out anyway".</p><p> </p><p>"Sure," sarcasm was clear on her voice.</p><p> </p><p>Sabrina stood in front of the open door, not knowing what to do besides looking at the teacher, ignoring the conversation behind her back. Even the dynamics she had with Calanthe were shocking.</p><p> </p><p>"Milady, you don't know how honored we are to have you around," Calanthe uttered, once close to the woman.</p><p> </p><p>"Cheeky brat, don't you dare to mock me," despite the rebuke, the old lady laughed. Hearing the slight rumor of the voice, Tissaia raised her head, trying to pay attention with a surprised face, but meeting Sabrina's body in the middle, "you know I would have come sooner if you'd warned me. Where did you hide her?"</p><p> </p><p>With a deep sigh, Tissaia stood up and smiled slightly at the blonde as she left the account book abandoned, muttering something about hating Calanthe when she was right, and further confusing the waitress, who had too many questions and not a single answer nor word to pronounce them. The woman passed by Sabrina, while placing a lock of hair that had managed to escape from the bun attached to the nape she was wearing, and laid her sight on the old lady.</p><p> </p><p>"Lady Nenneke", when the chestnut bowed her head, in a sign of respect, just as Calanthe had done before, the woman did not laugh.</p><p> </p><p>Sabrina had turned and decided to approach the corner of the bar where Mousesack had stayed and whisper some of her many questions.</p><p> </p><p>"Who is that woman? What is she doing here? What about Tissaia? What's going on? Is Calanthe in trouble?"</p><p> </p><p>"That woman is Duchess Nenneke of Melitele and I suppose she has only come to visit, but as we both know, Calanthe is always in trouble, so normally Tissaia has to come and solve it," seeing the confused look on Sabrina’s face, he added, "she is her little  sister," confirmed the doorman with a clearly fond voice, without adding any more, as they moved their eyes the conversation between the three women. "Just look, maybe we'll get lucky."</p><p> </p><p>Nenneke had risen up and approached Calanthe to hug her, before doing the same with Tissaia —taking more time on her— and returning to the stool where she had been so far. Sabrina, now with many more questions, tried to heed Mousesack’s recommendation.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm so glad to see that you're both as beautiful as ever, it's no wonder this place is always full," the old lady sighed, without losing her smile and then nailed her eyes to Tissaia, while adopting the same expression that a mother would when it came to scolding her daughter, "but what I can't believe, young lady, is that you were here last week and no one would tell me anything".</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia was wise enough and bowed her head, looking repentant. It was the first time her former student had seen her look down at someone, but she assumed it was difficult to challenge the royals of the Continent. However, a half-smile completely out of place on Tissaia's face blew Sabrina's theory.</p><p> </p><p>"I had to cover an absence and there was no one else of trust available," Calanthe replied, sitting at the bar, "are you staying for a drink?"</p><p> </p><p>"Depends on who serves it to me."</p><p> </p><p>"And I forgot to warn, I'm sorry," Tissaia muttered quietly and, to Sabrina's surprise, surrounded the bar and placed herself on the inside. "I guess I'll have to let you take advantage of me, what do you want?"</p><p> </p><p>"Two Lion's Breaths," Calanthe stared her sister in the eye.</p><p> </p><p>"One minute," Nenneke added, with a funny, excited smile, "and don't even think about tasting my drink before I do, you know I’d put my life on your hands, so I want it all for me."</p><p> </p><p>"Be so," however, Tissaia did not move until she received a signal, a nod from the brunette.</p><p> </p><p>Sabrina had  never before seen anyone prepare a drink at that speed, not even the simplest of the menu —which wasn't exactly lion's breath— so she could only do everything in her power to notice the precise fast movements of the chestnut on the other side. Two glasses over the bar, peach liqueur, a spoon over the glass and a layer of Baileys, a needle pulling grenadine out of the bottle and throwing it over the Irish cream carefully, but without slowing down,  same movement with Blue Curaçao and finally three fragments of dry ice in each glass, which Sabrina had no idea when she had crushedit because she had not seen it. Dry ice caused the transparent blend with red, blue and brown pearls to expel a kind of whitish steam that disappeared within a few seconds.</p><p>Calanthe moved a finger, pressing the screen of his phone to pause the stopwatch she had set, taking a few seconds to observe the number on it. Nenneke looked at Tissaia amused and just then, Sabrina realized that she herself had inadvertently been stunned.</p><p> </p><p>"Forty-seven seconds," the black-haired woman took one of the glasses and took it to her lips, emptying its contents at once. "I hate you".</p><p> </p><p>"No, you don't," whispered the smaller one, sporting a radiant and even more unusual smile on her.</p><p> </p><p>"To your health, girls," said that, Nenneke  drank the shot with a quick move. "I'd almost forgotten how well your drinks tasted".</p><p> </p><p>"You should let yourself see more," Calanthe leaned back on the stool and crossed her arms.</p><p> </p><p>"Or your sister could just accept my offer and work at my palace preparing all my drinks," the old lady replied again.</p><p> </p><p>"I like my work, thank you," Tissaia leaned forward to support her forearms against the bar, "but Calanthe is right, we’ve missed you".</p><p> </p><p>"I thought over the years you would have taught her to lie better, Calanthe "Nenneke shook her head, ignoring the sad pinch in her chest, "teaching whatever you teach students without goals in life, you just waste your talent, my dear girl"</p><p> </p><p>"They are not students without goals in life, Nenneke," Tissaia's voice was sharper than she had intended.</p><p> </p><p>"And yet one of them works here as a waitress," Nenneke hindered her eyes, not caring about Calanthe’s annoyed face, "you've lost all your goals too."</p><p> </p><p>"You want me to work for you as a waitress," the woman raised a brow, but she did not look away this time. "Sabrina's job choice may not have been expected of a student with her grades and talent, but that doesn't mean she's not going to become chief engineer in the Brotherhood's aerospace physics department at some point," she didn't deny, however, the last thing Nenneke had said. She knew it was true.</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia hadn’t looked at her former student at any time, but she did not need to do so to know that she would have been surprised if someone, as cold as her, remembered her first words in the first paper she sent to first-grade students, when the blonde was among them. The first question was completely personal and many had left it blank, but not Sabrina, who had assured that one day she would hold one of the most important jobs in one of the most important institutions on the Continent. Ever since she had read it, Tissaia had firmly believed that the child would get just that, so it had been surprising to discover that her sister's favorite waitress was precisely Sabrina. However, no matter where she was now, the chestnut still firmly believed that she would get where she wanted and whether she managed or not, she would still be proud. Maybe she didn’t say that last thing aloud, but she let it be reflected on her face and voice.</p><p>Sabrina blinked quickly, rubbing her cheek with all the disguise of the world. While she had liked the old lady at first and it wasn't like she had a special appreciation for the witch before, she had never expected her to come out in her defense or, much less, remember the dreams of an naive girl who believed she could achieve something in life. And, despite all of it… She just felt like she needed to protect her back, to defend her in front of the duchess. But she wouldn’t, not because she was too confused by the emotion, but because she didn’t have the chance.</p><p> </p><p>"Try it," the old lady had leaned forward, "you know why I'm here".</p><p> </p><p>A tense silence accompanied the duel of glances, while the woman adopted a serious pose since she had entered the place. Mousesack stirred awkwardly and Calanthe looked away —angry, yes, but unable to say a word either—, so Sabrina didn't know exactly what to do, seeing the trigger for a possible discussion.</p><p> </p><p>"I said I wouldn't make it again".</p><p> </p><p>"You also said you weren't going to work here again".</p><p> </p><p>"I'm not working, I’m just helping Cal".</p><p> </p><p>Sabrina tilted her head, for it was the first time she had heard anyone else than Eist call her boss that. Tissaia strained her jaw and took a deep breath. Calanthe could see how she started giving in, aware that Nenneke would end up getting what she wanted in a matter of minutes.</p><p> </p><p>"Well, help her by serving me that drink".</p><p> </p><p>"It's not in the menu, so I can't serve it," the chestnut index began to tap against her own hand, giving away her discomfort.</p><p> </p><p>"Operate me," the old lady squinted her eyes.</p><p> </p><p>"What? No," the answer was sharp and quickly followed by Tissaia's frowning.</p><p> </p><p>"Brain tumour," Nenneke explained, before softening her tone of voice and getting Tissaia to end up bowing her head and staring at the bar, "I want you to hold the surgery. Are you really going to deny this poor old lady everything she asks of you?"</p><p> </p><p>"Nenneke… I… I can’t…"</p><p> </p><p>"I'm just asking you to make the skylark fly one last time," the woman's expression had relaxed and softened as much as her tone of voice. Her right hand was raised to carefully caress the chestnut cheek, moving her thumb to dry the only tear that dared to leave Tissaia's eyes, "you know your hands are the only ones I'd put my life back in".</p><p> </p><p>Calanthe got up and disappeared across the office door, without a word or even giving a single glance to any of those present. Mousesack looked at the bright surface of the bar with the same intensity as the woman on the other side, tears fresh on his eyes. Sabrina couldn't ask him how it was possible that something so tense would have ended up with a stone woman and an intimidating security guard crying, Tissaia even letting a human being touch her, among other things. She understood how hard the news that someone close to them was dying could be, but it's not like she had expected Tissaia to have someone close to her either. It was complicated and surprising to learn that her former teacher was… Well, human.</p><p> </p><p>"I can't do it," the voice of the small woman was a shaky insecure thread, "I can't do that surgery," she was so close to burst into tears that she cleared her throat, took a deep breath of air, and forced herself to return her face to a neutral, indifferent expression that almost caused Sabrina to fall off his chair, throwing herself forward to try to figure out where all the teacher's emotions had gone. She looked so normal and composed suddenly that it was terrifying.</p><p> </p><p>Nenneke bent down to leave a kiss on the woman's forehead and then regained her initial position, merely holding one of Tissaia's hands among her own. The Duchess had always had an incredible ability to bring out the best in chestnut and to force her to do her best, ever since they met, so she was the only person who could convince Tissaia of anything —she could probably have convinced her to operate on her if she didn't refuse to manipulate her or force her beyond her limits.</p><p>Neither moved until Calanthe emerged from the office with what looked like a heavy leather briefcase, at least half a meter deep, one wide and about seventy-five centimeters high, looking quite weighed. The brunette left the briefcase on the bar, refusing to meet the eyes of those present, since some bright wetness was still present in her orbs and it seemed able to give away how she felt about the situation.</p><p>With a heavy sigh and a last squeeze at Nenneke's hands, Tissaia broke the contact, placed a lock that was bent on escaping her bun behind her ear and turned to look at Sabrina and  Mousesack.</p><p> </p><p>"You probably want to get close..." Now, she was looking the blonde right in the eye. Sabrina realized then, a very tiny wrinkle on it that reflected how extremely sad she felt. Is she hadn’t been putting so much attention on the woman, she would have missed it, "and I’m sure you want to be on this side, you're going to see it better, and I'm only going to do it once".</p><p> </p><p>Sabrina could recognize that tone of voice so easily that it almost frightened. Tissaia had entered her "teacher mode", so to say no to that version of the woman wasn't an option. The young woman jumped off the stool and approached the tip of the bar to surround it and approach the chestnut, without bothering to hide her curious gaze or contain her tongue.</p><p> </p><p>"What are you going to do? What's in there?"</p><p> </p><p>"A cocktail that's been off the menu for years," Tissaia looked over her shoulder in the briefcase, "there's a collection of some of the most expensive alcohols in the whole Continent, some of them are only made in limited units, "with one gesture, she told her to come up with her to the briefcase and open it. No one mentioned the half-clean dust layer it had, for it hasn’t been touched in more than a decade, "if we're going to do this, we're going to do it right".</p><p> </p><p>As Tissaia had said, inside the briefcase there were nine bottles, each of a different color and with a shape and label that showed the quality of each of them. The blonde was sure the contents of that suitcase should be worth more than her apartment. Someone could probably make a version of what they were going to prepare with much more common versions of those alcohols, but no one better than a waitress knew the difference between using quality beverages, as well as how it could change the result.</p><p>Tissaia was taking out the bottles one at a time, so Sabrina considered that, in order not only to be a nuisance, it would be best to seize the moment to remove the two shots that had been left on the bar, forgotten as a result of the conversation and battle of glances. Calanthe,  Nenneke   and Mousesack were on adjoining stools. Even Eist had decided to leave the office to take a place with his wife and enjoy the show. While the blonde was unable to understand what was so stiring about for an off-menu drink, she herself was curious to see what would happen next.</p><p>Again, every move of Tissaia was precise and agile, either to pour liquid into the shaker, put the ice or even to measure the quantities with the naked eye. How the hell was she doing that without a gauge? The lack of professionalism that, for Sabrina, proved such a simple action, did not seem to disturb any of the others present —and she was more than aware of how much Calanthe hated when they didn’t measure every single thing. Tissaia had already used six of the nine bottles, but the young woman only remembered seeing her take three, so she frowned for a few seconds, widely opening her eyes when she saw the reason for her mistake. Tissaia had been using her two hands at once for different tasks, so she had been able to measure —with the naked eye— the amount she used of each drink, twice at the time.</p><p>The next time Sabrina stopped looking at Tissaia's hands to see the bar, there were six glasses placed on it, with a shape the young woman had not seen before. The woman threw the contents of the shaker into them, spreading it equally almost perfectly... Oh, so she wasn't throwing everything away without measuring it, she was just a fucking machine capable of doing everything perfectly in front of simple humans. Sabrina's mouth was open again, so her facial expression was quite funny when she saw the woman was using a blowtorch to burn the alcohol she was about to pour into her glasses, before adding some cinnamon to make sparkles jump and provoke a laugh to escape Nenneke’s lips. The mixture of the vessels was not homogeneous, so, in about twenty seconds, the different alcohols began to separate, resulting in a range of colors within a earth shades, similar to those of the bird they had mentioned before. Thirteen drops of the seventh bottle —black liquid— in each glass, a spiral movement of the eighth, the shape of which was suspended between the liquid layers of the glass and finally the ninth, emerald green.</p><p>While Sabrina did not remember what a skylark looked like, it was clear that the appearance of the drink reminded her of a bird, further accentuated by the shape of the glass, which would surely have been designed exclusively to serve that mixture. Tissaia stopped her hands and everyone held their breath. Fire and cinnamon jumped sparks again, followed by some dry ice that raised a small steam curtain and turned off the fire. It almost looked as if a bird had just crossed the clouds right under its noses, replacing any liquid with magic.</p><p> </p><p>"Drink it before it gets hot," and with that whisper, the woman began collecting the bottles, cleaning them, and ordering them back into the briefcase.</p><p> </p><p>No one listened to what she had just said, engrossed in the vessels that still retained some magic within them. With a service as fast and spectacular as that, they could surely place Cintra among the best bars on the Continent, so Sabrina began to seriously question the vocation of her former teacher. As if she had read her thoughts, Tissaia took one of the glasses and approached her, with a tight and very slight smile on her lips.</p><p> </p><p>"You look like you have a lot of questions".</p><p> </p><p>Sabrina accepted the glass and approached it to her lips, sniffing it first. Possibly a lot of the alcohol would have been lost by burning it twice, so it shouldn't be too strong, should it?</p><p> </p><p>"I do have a lot of questions," she murmured, before drinking.</p><p> </p><p>The young woman didn't know if she was more surprised by the look of the drink and all its preparation or how incredibly amazing taste it had. The taste was a mixture of wood, fruits, sweets and an acidic touch, followed by the heat of alcohol as it passed through her throat, something slightly toasted and other things Sabrina was not able to identify just after that. The drink seemed designed to act in different phases, first in the mouth, with the first stroke of flavors, then in the throat and stomach, with the heat and finally again in the mouth, leaving some flavors in this completely different from the originals. Her expression of surprise and delight was more than enough for the rest to react and grab their glasses.</p><p>Tissaia had returned to her duties, cleaning up the objects she had been using mechanically and in alphabetical order, needing a small routine to comfort her after missing the promise she made to herself. However, how could she deny Nenneke anything? That woman had treated her like a daughter, supported her in all her decisions, and had always been there when she had needed to talk to someone different to her mother or ask for advice. In fact, Tissaia was sure that, if she told her about the situation she was in, the woman would guarantee Rita diplomatic immunity so that she could kill Vilgefortz without any consequence —because Nenneke herself could legally fix it, yes, but the few people who had seen her furious knew she would never resort to the quiet option if someone touched those who she cared for. Still, Tissaia refused to be another problem for the Duchess, so she would let her live the rest of her days with happy thoughts only.</p><p>Several sounds of approval reached the ears of the chestnut, who took her own glass for a sip. Something had changed in her perception, so if necessary, she would have to make sure she found out what her drink was missing. The conversation had resumed soon after, this time staying much calmer and more cheerful; Nenneke first  apologized to Sabrina and explained that she had only used her to mess with Tissaia —who did not withdraw anything she had said about her—, Calanthe then explained to the blonde that her little sister had not come to match her because she usually came to Cintra only when it was closed to help her with the paperwork. Then they began to try to make inquiries about Mousesack's romantic life, but the man didn't have much to tell, so it was Sabrina's turn to answer the same questions and, although she did not give Triss's name, she acknowledged having a girlfriend from her sophomore year in college.</p><p>Calanthe didn't plan to open the bar until Nenneke left, not caring about losing customers and refusing to risk the integrity of someone like the Duchess, so everyone was a lot more relaxed than usual at ten minutes from opening. The bodyguards guarding the door, however, let someone inside the bar, a woman with black hair and fancy clothes, but not so much as to make it look like she had gone out for a drink. When Tissaia saw the woman on the other side of the bar, she opened her eyes with surprise and quickly searched for her phone, finding out four missed calls and several messages. No one else had noticed her presence, so Tissaia's voice confused them and caused them to turn around until they stared at the brunette.</p><p> </p><p>"I had my cell phone silent, I'm sorry," Tissaia really regretted before looking down with guilt.</p><p> </p><p>"It’s fine, but call Rita before she gets a heart attack," Vanielle walked up to the bar and let a kiss on Calanthe’s and Esit cheeks. "Good night to you all--Glevissig??"</p><p> </p><p>Really surprised to see her, Vanielle stopped halfway around the bar. Tissaia, meanwhile, began writing to both Rita and Triss, as she had several unread messages from both women. Yennefer's, however, she preferred to leave them for later, aware of the effects that this young woman had on her. For the god's sakes, they hadn't even come to talk about one topic at all in the time they were together, how had she offered to give her a massage at her place the following day? What was wrong with her to suggest to something like that? What was Yennefer doing to her?</p><p> </p><p>"Professor Brugge, I'm so glad to see you," Sabrina's smile was broad and sincere, "what are you doing around here?"</p><p> </p><p>"You can call me just Vanielle, honey, I don't teach you anymore," the woman resumed her gear then, until she stopped by Tissaia, rounded her waist with one arm, and left a longer kiss than the previous ones on her cheek. The chestnut barely moved to adapt her body to that of the other woman, quite calm wrapped in her arms, "I have come to find out if the moon of my life was still alive because she seems unable to catch a call or answer a message".</p><p> </p><p>"I hope Keira makes you sleep on the couch for saying that," Tissaia snorted, deliberately avoiding looking at Calanthe, "but the day you all stop using all those puns and pickup lines to mess with me, the department will be a safer place".</p><p> </p><p>"Are you two together?" Sabrina's question provoked a collective laugh, excluding Tissaia, whose cheeks blush noticeably.</p><p> </p><p>"No, Sabrina, we are not. Though it's not that I didn't try before I met the love of my life," Vanielle shook her head with dramatically and then smiled, looking at Tissaia. "Keira loves you, she’s unable to be jealous of you... Besides, there’s no way you hate them anymore since your girl has make them work"</p><p> </p><p>"Yes, that’s why I know she’ll defend my honor from you," Tissaia muttered. "Anyway, since when can anyone make work a comparation between a woman and a celestial body?"</p><p> </p><p>"You’d be surprised… But if anyone it’s you, I’d say that for a couple of weeks now ... But for the next one I'll compare you to the staAUCH," Vanielle folded slightly forward, having got a gentle elbow on her side.</p><p> </p><p>Sabrina knew something was very out of place on that conversation, and she wasn’t the only one noticing, but there was also something familiar she couldn’t place.</p><p> </p><p>"I don't know why I'm telling you anything," Tissaia had to hold back so she wouldn't roll her eyes in front of Calanthe's laughter.</p><p> </p><p>"I can't believe you're telling her more than you tell me," the woman looked at her sister with a high eyebrow.</p><p> </p><p>"And I can't believe she prepared <em>that</em>!" Vanielle broke away from the chestnut just to put her arms in jugs, just before she pouted.</p><p> </p><p>"No..." Tissaia rolled her eyes, but a quick look around her was enough, so she pointed out an empty stool, "just for you to know, I can't stand your emotional blackmail".</p><p> </p><p>"I'm just a poor old lady dying," Nenneke shrugged her shoulders.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm just your big sister, who's no longer told anything about your new girl," she let a moment of silence slip before keep going, "friends".</p><p> </p><p>"I'm just your best friend, who came to pick you up because I was so worried about your well-being that I couldn’t even be still", said the other teacher, while taking seat.</p><p> </p><p>"We're just men," Eist added, passing an arm over Mousesack's shoulders, implying that it was quite a big problem to be dealt with.</p><p> </p><p>"And I'm just one of your students... Sorry, I don't have anything better ".</p><p> </p><p>"Why would you need more than that?" Tissaia's voice sounded much softer than she had intended and only Sabrina could hear her, since she was still quite close to her. The woman stepped aside to take the bottles back out, without even looking at her, then, as she started preparations again, she asked, "what was missing from the cocktail before?"</p><p> </p><p>That question took Sabrina by surprise, but when no one answered, she assumed that her former teacher was addressing her, so she stopped looking at her hands to bring her eyes to the soft blue eyes, while trying to think what she might have missed in what she had named as the best cocktail she had ever tasted.</p><p> </p><p>"Something fresh, any kind of herb, perhaps?" For the first time while answering one of her questions, Sabrina felt unsure about her own answer.</p><p> </p><p>"Mhm, perhaps".</p><p> </p><p>The amount of time it took to prepare that second round, this time with seven glasses, was exactly the same as the previous, although this time each of the glasses was different, given the last touch Tissaia added to each cup. Lime for Eist, pepper for Mousesack, a cut strawberry for Calanthe, absinthe for Nenneke, vanilla for Vanielle, mint for Sabrina and crushed gooseberries for herself.</p><p>The blonde didn't understand how a drink could change so much from the first time to the second, or why Tissaia had changed them all without asking anyone before. By the time the liquid reached her lips, Sabrina realized that now the cocktail was, indeed, perfect, but how could have it got so much better from one mix to the next just by adding mint to it?</p><p> </p><p>"Every palate is different, so getting a mix that everyone likes is very difficult," again, Tissaia seemed to read the young woman's question on her face.  "However, if you get a mix that the vast majority might like, you just need to add a personal touch depending on who's going to drink it. Nenneke loves absinthe and her taste is more delicate, so it only takes the right amount. Cal loves sweet things and strawberries are her favorites, while Eist is much more inclined to acids and Mousesack to spicy. Also, Vanielle favorite flavor is vanilla and it is as soft as she is".</p><p> </p><p>"That's why you asked me what it lacked..." Sabrina looked at her glass, marveling.</p><p> </p><p>"Exactly," with a smile, she nodded, "I've made them one of those before, at some point, and I know what they like, but with you I didn't have any clues. You said herbs and as long as I know, you are fresh and have a nice effect on people around you, you are young, vital and stubborn, so it had to be mint".</p><p> </p><p>"It's unbelievable".</p><p> </p><p>"It's biochemistry," corrected the older woman, "and knowing the people I care about".</p><p> </p><p>Did Tissaia just implied she cared about her or was it just the alcohol playing with her mind?</p><p> </p><p>"No one's going to talk about gooseberries being thrown at hers?" Nenneke interrupted.</p><p> </p><p>"What about them?" Sabrina stopped looking at the chestnut and fixed her eyes on the old lady.</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia hid her expression behind the glass while drinking, thanking the glass when it also allowed her to hide a smile of satisfaction. The cocktail tasted exactly like...</p><p> </p><p>"Now that I think about it," Calanthe murmured, "wasn't that the note on the perfume that...?"</p><p> </p><p>"I just wanted to try something new, can we please not give greater importance to any of this? Thank you very much".</p><p> </p><p>The silence lasted only a few seconds, as Sabrina had too many questions.</p><p> </p><p>"What's the name of the cocktail? Why didn't you add everything to it at first? Why are you so good at making drinks? Why don't you work here instead of teaching?" She only stopped when she heard a few laughs on the other side of the bar, frowning.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm not good at answering personal questions," Tissaia sighed, in an attempt to explain her family’s reaction —she did consider them that—, but when she saw Sabrina's face of disappointment, she added, "it's called <em>Fly of the Skylark</em> and I hadn't customized it at first because I was sure this group of extortionists was going to get me to do it at least twice, even if I said I wasn't going to do it. I guess I'm good at making drinks because I've been doing it since I was sixteen--"</p><p> </p><p> "Fourteen," Calanthe corrected.</p><p> </p><p>"Those misfortunes don't count as drinks," said that, Tissaia tried to remember what else she had asked her, "oh, I don't work here because I never liked to think that my life would be behind a bar serving others. Perhaps by doing useful things like" she stopped and frowned upon her own thoughts, then she shook her head and resumed her answers, "like teaching others, helping them. That kind of things. But enough talking about me".</p><p> </p><p>After that, it wasn't too difficult to change the topic of conversation and target anyone other than Tissaia. While they failed to convince her to prepare a third round of the Fly of the Skylark, they did convince her to serve other drinks and even Sabrina collected enough courage to ask her for advice or teach her some tricks.</p><p>Cintra opened two hours later than usual that day, with three waiters in special good a little drunk —except for Calanthe who was only happy, since she was impossible to get drunk— humor and only one who maintained a minimum of seriousness, and a security guard who laughed at any joke. Both Nenneke and Vanielle had ended up getting back home, both having fulfilled what had taken them to the bar that night. The brunette knew her friend was fine and would take a cab back to the university's faculty residence. The old lady, suspecting that something did not fit with her protected young woman and the security that she would get her to agree to her request, sooner or later; after all, Tissaia never told her why she had left the job she had before she was a professor at the university and Nenneke was beginning to think there was something nobody was telling her.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I know I answered less than half of your questions in the comments, but you'll get to find things out eventually...</p><p>Also I want to give special thanks to the two anons and gayllamafromspace, who sent me an answer to the unknown question (I hope I don't forget to say what it was in chapter 10, when it happens) :p</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Curves</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I know you want answers and you'll have them soon. Well, maybe in 4 chapters, but I have already written them, so I'll only have to find the time to translate them. Thank you for being patient!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sound of the bell startled Yennefer, who quickly stood up and went to the door, taking enough care not to hurt her leg, because even if she only had a tight muscle, it bothered her as she walked.</p><p>The brunette had managed to convince Sabrina to go to Triss' house for the day and hopefully the night; the same with Jaskier, practically having to kick him out of the apartment. They both wanted to see the mysterious woman Yennefer kept talking about —although she hadn't revealed vital details such as that she was Calanthe's sister, which would have led Sabrina to draw conclusions— but they were aware that maybe their presences there could make the woman uncomfortable and ruin Yennefer's progress with her, so they ended up agreeing to leave the apartment to her alone. They didn’t want to ruin their wedding.</p><p>Thus, Yennefer leaned against the door frame, sketching a half-smile with her arms crossed at chest height, as she looked at the woman in front of her from top to bottom, without being able to avoid it. Tissaia wore heels, trousers and a navy-blue rounded-necked shirt, sleeveless, under a jacket that matched the pants. The shirt fit the chestnut's body, pronouncing every last of her curves and causing the youngest to need all her willpower to be able to lay her eyes on the precious bluish orbs. Unlike the woman, she was wearing short jeans and a tank top, as tight as the wearing shirt. Of course, it was not her best outfit or the most elaborated one, but she had spent hours looking at her closet, hesitant and finding nothing she liked; although, seeing the nervous way Tissaia bit her lip, the effect had been the desired.</p><p> </p><p>"You shouldn't be up," Tissaia's voice surprised Yennefer, forcing her to realize that they had both been staring at each other for a while and hadn't even said hello. Those intense moments were going to kill her one day.</p><p> </p><p>"I would climb a mountain right now if you asked," the brunette's smile turned cheeky when Tissaia's face became completely red. She moved her left arm to hold the door with the hand, adopting a much more sensual pose, "but of course, that's where the sun beats me, for every day it comes out just to see you".</p><p> </p><p>"Why are you always hell-bent on leaving any scientific facts on the ground?"</p><p> </p><p>"Because on the ground is where you always leave me," she winked, "you want to come in?</p><p> </p><p>"Can I think about it? I am not so sure right now," Tissaia raised an eyebrow, trying to resist and keep some of her facade intact.</p><p> </p><p>"Of course, you can. I'm sure kidnapping you would ruin any scheme you had in your head and you’d give me a hard time while I tie you up".</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia rolled her eyes and instead of answering, she took advantage of her smaller stature to crouch down and pass under Yennefer's arm, turning to look at her once inside the apartment, her two eyebrows raised and a subtle, mocking smile on her lips. Yennefer closed the door and turned to lean on it, tilting her head as she looked at the woman with a rather adorable expression.</p><p> </p><p>"Can you help me get back on the couch?"</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia knew that a tug was not so much and if Yennefer had been able to get to the door, she could just go back to the couch. Her logical part told her that the young woman just wanted to take advantage of the situation to use some ruse and seduce her; her emotional part, however, was disentangling itself from the matter by saying that Yennefer was not going to achieve anything she had not achieved so far. As sad as it may be, any of the smallest gestures or compliments the violet-eyed woman had addressed to the teacher, even counted separately, had been much more than her husband had given her throughout their whole relationship; for that reason, any detail made Tissaia feel something strange wallowing inside. Maybe that was why she had a harder time pretending every day that she wasn't interested in Yennefer, so the lie was getting harder and harder for her brain to believe, no matter how hard she tried.</p><p>Tissaia merely nodded and approached the younger one. She put an arm around her waist and let her rest some of her weight on it before starting to walk to the couch. When they both got to the sofa, the chestnut bent carefully to let Yennefer sit down. Tissaia let go of the foreign body so that she could take off her jacket and leave it on one end of the sofa, suffocated between the heating and the other woman's comments.</p><p> </p><p>"Have you been getting hot in there?" As soon as she said it, Tissaia regretted her choice of words.</p><p> </p><p>"Every time I thought of you," the thought left Yennefer's mind turned into words she quickly repented of. She knew she had to hold her tongue a little, but with the chestnut so close it was too difficult, "because I remembered you said it, I mean..."</p><p> </p><p>"Oh," Tissaia's brain couldn't do a better job at the time, so it was impossible for her to hide the disappointed tone of her voice withonly those two letters. She sat on the further part of the sofa when Yennefer gestured with her hand, not knowing exactly what else to do, "I mean, I'm glad you remembered to get ho-warm. To get warm. In your leg. When you thought of me... Yes, it is".</p><p> </p><p>"You don't have to give me the massage if you don't want to, you know that, don't you?" Yennefer moved to get close to the woman, unable to allow so much distance to separate them, "it wasn't really your fault and the last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable".</p><p> </p><p>"Okay," Tissaia cleared her throat and looked her in the eye, "I don't like to miss my word, and I am not that bad as massages to be ashamed of them," a slight nuance on her lips, a shadow of a smile, was enough for Yennefer to decide to get much closer. So close she came that she ended up sitting on Tissaia's lap with total brazenness and without warning, forcing her to take a sharp, audible breath of air.</p><p> </p><p>"I wouldn't want to make you kneel again," she tried to excuse herself, aware that he was tightening Tissaia's boundaries again, "at least not because I hurt my leg".</p><p> </p><p>"Yen..."</p><p> </p><p>"You can say no or stop at any time," Yennefer had leaned slightly into the woman, whispering that sentence in her ear in a sweet, seductive voice, as she passed an arm over her shoulders.</p><p> </p><p>That was by far twice the physical contact they had had before, for even when Tissaia had helped her walk, her hands and body had always stayed away from key areas. Right now, her right hand was on the lower back of Yennefer and her left, for some reason, had ended up on one of the young woman's thighs… Tissaia needed to resort to all her mental strength to prevent her fingers from beginning to delight in the soft touch of the skin on which they rested, despite the warmth that had also been distributed throughout her entire body due to mere thought.</p><p> </p><p>"As I said, I'm not going to miss my word," Tissaia managed to keep her voice stable, even though her pulse was incredibly fast at that point.</p><p> </p><p>"You don't have cold hands today," Yennefer murmured.</p><p> </p><p>"What do you mean?" Confused, Tissaia looked down to the hand resting on the younger woman's thigh, red reaching her cheeks.</p><p> </p><p>"Yesterday you had your hands frozen most of the time," Yennefer rested her head on the chestnut shoulder, bowing it enough to keep looking her in the eye," but today they are hot," to reinforce her words, she moved her own right hand to let it rest on the one touching her leg, making sure she wouldn't push her too much. She just hoped Tissaia wouldn't be able to imagine the effects that such subtle contact was having on her body's set of biochemical and hormonal reactions.</p><p> </p><p>"I always have cold hands," the older granted.</p><p> </p><p>"So it's my fault you're hot today?" The selection of words by the brunette had been precise and careful, thus gaining that the blush would intensify in the cheeks of Tissaia, who merely looked away unanswered. I'll take it as a y-OH MY GODS".</p><p> </p><p>Both blushed even more at what was a mixture of groaning and moaning on Yennefer's part, provoked by the delicate movement of the woman’s hand on her leg. It had been little more than a caress that put some pressure on the abductor, in an attempt by Tissaia to put an end to that as soon as possible and avoid even more uncomfortable situations. However, since the chestnut had placed her hand in that area, Yennefer's entire body had begun to accumulate more and more heat and sensitivity, her mind filling with hundreds of possibilities that would never happen, so, such a discreet and precise movement had shattered any control the brunette had over her own body and reactions.</p><p>Swallowing, Yennefer decided to hid her face in the hollow of the other woman's neck, although that was probably the worst thing she could do at the time, as that new position allowed her to smell the woman’s soft vanilla and oak smell, to feel Tissaia's pulse getting faster at the rubbing of her breath against the skin that the shirt allowed her to see. Yennefer knew the human body perfectly, so she had not stuck her ear to the right subclavia of the chestnut by sheer chance; the problem had been that she had not foreseen the effects that obtaining such information would have on herself. She was so tempted to press her lips on the woman’s carotid and suck there until a mark was left…</p><p>Yennefer bit her lower lip hard and closed her eyes when Tissaia's hand moved again on her leg, walking the extension of the abductor with great care a couple of times, before her fingers began to describe precise and gentle movements, exerting pressure in the right places to relieve tension and tightness of the muscle. Occasionally, some sigh managed to become audible, distracting Tissaia from her task and forcing her to repeat the previous movement. Both women's breasts rose and fell faster and heavier than they were willing to admit, although they both felt their hearts stop beating for a second Yennefer lips pressed softly on Tissaia’s neck, while she unconsciously moved her hips over the other woman's lap —in search of a position that was not so uncomfortable with how excited she was— causing the woman’s hand to ascend more than expected. Tissaia managed to prevent the palm of her hand from ending up between Yennefer's legs by a few centimetres, although her thumb was not so lucky and ended up pressing her core, above the shorts. This time, when the soft moan left Yennefer's throat, the brunette squeezed her thighs, in an attempt to relieve that tight pressure between her legs, but Tissaia did not have time to withdraw her hand in time, so the effect the brunette achieved was totally opposite. They both were about to die at the moment, Yennefer prayed that the wetness between her legs did not show through the layers of clothes and Tissaia was doing her best to maintain her neutral attitude and trying not to panic or just fuck the girl —she was not sure which one was worse.</p><p> </p><p>Neither of them moved or said anything for the first minute. Both were more than affected by the unexpected development of the events, so they needed some time to assimilate that all that had just happened somewhere beyond their minds. Despite the silence, the two women came to the same conclusion: it would be best to pretend that none of that had happened, to ignore the speed at which their hearts pumped blood, the unbridled rhythm with which their breasts went up and down, the instinct to seek more contact between their bodies. Finally, it was Tissaia who slowly withdrew her hand, although, not knowing where to leave it this time, she chose to make sure that no lock had escaped from the perfect bun she had on the back of her neck.</p><p> </p><p>"Do you want a drink?" Definitely, it was best to look for a basic topic of conversation as soon as possible, even if her voice sounded muffled and even hoarse against Tissaia's neck, her lips ghosting over her skin with every word.</p><p> </p><p>"Please," Tissaia urgently needed to part with Yennefer, or she'd end up making a mistake.</p><p> </p><p>"Would you like a cup of tea? Yesterday we couldn't talk about almost anything".</p><p> </p><p>"Tea would be fine, but I don't think you can make it when you need help even to walk," Tissaia didn't look at her, but she had raised one of her eyebrows out of sheer instinct.</p><p> </p><p>"Touché... Would you mind preparing it for me then? I know you're good at making drinks, tea can’t be that difficult, is it?"</p><p> </p><p>"It will be a pleasure," she wrinkled her nose at the words she’d chosen, especially with the situation they were still in, but nodded, "tell me where the kitchen and things are".</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer pointed in the direction of a door and got off the chestnut, she stood up first and then she waited for Tissaia to do the same. This time, instead of waiting for the woman to help her, she started walking into the kitchen, limping a little —which helped her, above all, avoid rubbing her shorts and even her own underwear against her core. The kitchen was small and had everything needed to make basic meals, although maybe some extra counter space wouldn't hurt. However, there was a small table with three chairs, a fairly large fridge and other small appliances that compensated the lack of space. Yennefer leaned against the wall and indicated where each thing was, giving the information with droppers, only to be able to watch the chestnut body move around the place, crouching down and stretching to reach the teapot, tea, cups, sugar...</p><p>For a moment, Yennefer felt her heart skip several beats as she watched Tissaia's pants adjust to the curvature of her ass as she crouched down, highlighting it in a way that made Yennefer mouth to water. Was that woman aware that her body was a weapon of mass destruction and that she had just shot right at her core? Because as conscious as Yennefer was that she had been drunk staring at Tissaia's butt, or that her mouth was open, or that the woman's voice was ringing, her brain refused to cooperate this time.</p><p>Only when Tissaia turned straight and her gaze continued to travel through her body, Yennefer saw the expression on her face. Both eyebrows raised with skepticism, a slight mocking curvature on her lips —too discreet to be appreciated if the woman was not stared at or known enough— and her head slightly tilted to one side, trying to hide the color of her face. Tissaia moistened her lips and the brunette had to clear her throat to hide the sound she threatened to escape from her lips. Yennefer's face was probably a poem, for Tissaia turned her back on her again and began filling the kettle with water to leave a few seconds for her recompose herself; it was in that period of time when the youngest realized that even her breathing had become elaborate. She needed something to distract herself and she needed it now.</p><p> </p><p>"So... My hoodie is a great pjs, isn't it?"</p><p> </p><p>If the question surprised Tissaia, the woman did not let it show, turning again and resting her hip against the countertop as the water warmed up. Much of the discomfort and previous tension was disappearing as quickly as a little physical distance had been generated between the two and Yennefer had managed to look at the teapot, so the women were a little more relaxed now.</p><p> </p><p>"The truth is, yes, it really is a great thing to sleep with. If I'd known those things could keep me warm so well, I would have started wearing hoodies much sooner".</p><p> </p><p>"But that would make mine stop being special," the brunette wrinkled her lips, pouting.</p><p> </p><p>"No, it wouldn't," realizing that she had said that out loud, Tissaia’s eyes widened and she chose to avoid that topic of conversation, "but I'm so sorry about what happened, one of my best friends is an idiot," the affection with which she uttered the word made Yennefer realize she wasn't seriously insulting her, "so she picked up my phone and pretended to be me".</p><p> </p><p>" I... I was worried that it was your husband," she acknowledged, taking a seat in one of the chairs, without looking to the woman, "though if she tried to flirt with me pretending to be you, I guess she shouldn't like him much."</p><p> </p><p>"Ri hates my husband," with a sigh, Tissaia sat in the other chair, only to be closer to the brunette. She could see several questions reflected in Yennefer's face, but the young woman did not vocalize any of them, afraid to screw up; that was the reason why the chestnut decided to go on, "she has her reasons and he's a moron, really, but if I’d known she'd bother you, I would never have told her about you or left her use my phone," her voice was fading out, until one hand ended up perched on top of hers, squeezing so softly and carefully that Tissaia had to stop, confused.</p><p> </p><p>"You don't have to tell me, if you don't feel comfortable," a small, melancholyc smile was drawn on Yennefer's lips, "I meant it when I said that we could be just friends and I know we've only known each other for two weeks, so you don't have to feel compelled to tell me all about yourself in one go. I’ll be here, waiting all the time that you need to take".</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia nodded and let her thumb caress the knuckles of the girl’s hand with great care and softness. She only let go of Yennefer's hand a minute later, when the hissing of the teapot interrupted the comfortable silence that had been created between the two and that was only accompanied by Tissaia's gentle caresses in the woman’s hand. Did she really want to be her friend? She knew the answer was a yes, so the real question was, did she want to be just her friend?  It had been too long since she had felt the need to ask herself something as stupid as  that —fifteen years, specifically.</p><p>The chestnut pulled the kettle away from the fire and set it aside, while placing the tea mixtures in both cups and waiting for it to cool down a couple of degrees, before pouring the exact amount into each of the cups. First she brought the sugar to the table, then the two cups and then she sat down, taking Yennefer's silence as a statement that she wouldn't want to put anything else on the tea.</p><p> </p><p>"Still, I'm so sorry about Ri, she can be very impulsive at times, and she shouldn't have scared you like that," the chestnut dared to look up and let her gaze reach violet eyes, relieved to see a smile reflected in them.</p><p> </p><p>"It’s okay, plus it sounds like the kind of person who I would be great friends with... Although, are you apologizing only for the fright?"</p><p> </p><p>"She’s an angel, so I bet you’d do," she bit her lower lip, looking for the right words to answer, and then nodded. "Well, also because she was the one who sent you the message about the hoodie".</p><p> </p><p>"Because you wouldn't have done it?" A new nod and Tissaia took the cup to her lips, in silence, but she did not drink. Maybe Yennefer was overanalizing the situation, but she knew she'd spend days thinking about it if she didn't ask, "and do you regret that it happened?"</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia dropped her gaze up to the cup, back in the table and began to stir the tea slowly. Two tablespoons of sugar and four turns to the cup, before leaving the spoon still inside and looking again at Yennefer, who waited patiently for any kind of response.</p><p> </p><p>"Why do you want to know?"</p><p> </p><p>"Because even if you're married, I can't stop thinking about you all the time and I can't help but stare at you every time I have you around. Because you're so beautiful that the best painters and sculptors in the world would spend their days crying because they weren't able to reflect your beauty. Because you're the smartest woman I've ever met, and I know you've barely let me see some of that intellect you have. Because every time you reject me, I feel like it's just because you don't think I'm honest with everything I tell you, when I say that you are precious and wonderful. Because with every sentence I say and you unseat, I can only think about how sexy it is the way you do it. And because, although I told you I could be just your friend, I'd rather have the chance to be more than that," Yennefer took both hands to her face, regretting almost instantly of saying out loud all she thought, yet there was something she needed to emphasize, "and even then I'd still rather have you as a friend than miss the chance to have you in my life".</p><p> </p><p>The statement had once again left Tissaia speechless, so she merely let herself be carried away by her instincts, for once, and moved enough to carefully take Yennefer by the wrists and force her to pull her hands down. Tissaia held the grip on the brunette's wrists, taking her pulse unconsciously, while stroking the inside of them with her thumbs, she almost missed the soft lines that went up Yennefer’s arms from the wrists, probably thanks to someone pretty skilled at sewing. She tossed aside the thought and bit her lower lip as she searched for the right words and let go of one of Yennefer's wrists, using her free hand to place her under the young woman's chin, waiting for her to look up.</p><p>When violet eyes met blue’s, Tissaia let a smile be drawn on her face, small, tender and sincere; it was much more expressive than she would have liked, but the glow that appeared in Yennefer's eyes was completely worth it.</p><p> </p><p>"Let me at least have the chance to..." Tissaia's voice went out when her phone started ringing with a melody assigned to a particular person, making her go back to reality and completely changing the course of her words," I… I think it would be best to start with friendship for now. I am married, Yennefer, and..." She had uttered the word friendship with such difficulty that she doubted Yennefer would take what she had said seriously. The phone started ringing again, Tissaia swallowed and tried to smile again, but it was clear it was a forced gesture. It was becoming extremely difficult for her to say that without revealing why, "I don't want to hurt you".</p><p> </p><p>"I may only know you for thirteen days, but I very much doubt that you could hurt anyone," in a careful move, Yennefer took the hand that still held her chin. It was more than obvious that what Tissaia was going to say was not that and it was also obvious that the sound of the phone had changed her speech, so Yennefer felt the urgent need to know what the hell had happened to unsettle the chestnut and make her let go of such an unbelievable lie, "besides, I know the risks this may have and I understand that you don't want to screw your marriage, so if that's the problem it's okay. But don't tell me what you want is to avoid hurting me, because I don't believe it. I’d prefer you don’t lie to me".</p><p> </p><p>"You don't understand it, Yen... " Tissaia let Yennefer's wrist go and then pulled her other hand to force her let go.</p><p> </p><p>"You're right, I don't understand it!" exasperated, she stood up and snorted, not paying too much attention to the way the chestnut shrugged.</p><p> </p><p>Neither of them said anything for a few seconds, until Tissaia stood up.</p><p> </p><p>"I'd better go," she didn't even wait for an answer, rushing to the living room to retrieve her jacket, in whose pocket was the phone, and practically ran out of the place.</p><p> </p><p>Needing to calm down, Tissaia chose to go down the stairs, rather than the elevator, but she did so at such a speed —even wearing heels— that she didn't notice the brown-haired young man who turned to look at her, on the landing of the second floor, as she climbed down on her way home.</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer, who had been left alone in the kitchen of the apartment in a matter of seconds, blinked slowly trying to process how everything had gone to shit in such a short time. Defeated, she dropped on the chair that a couple of minutes ago Tissaia had occupied and took her cup of tea; clearly, she thought, even a stupid tea tasted wonderful if she made it.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Will they solve the sexual tension? One could start thinking at this point they won't hahahaha, sorry, but I asked a friend "yes or no" to decide if they kissed, without telling her what she was choosing about, and she said no, soooooo, sorry, no kiss for now.</p><p>Thanks for keep reading and stay with me, I love you!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Electron</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Rita had a date with Philippa and she's having gay panic for the first time on her life.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm just dropping this because I love your comments and uni can wait, thank you so much for the support, it means a lot.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Vanielle had been the first to arrive at Margarita's house, almost running when the blonde texted her. The night began to show in the firmament, shinning stars and beautiful moon barely visible on the darkening sky, due to the pollution. It was a Sunday as any other. The brunette had not asked for explanations or questioned what had happened, but her mind kept going around a lot of possibilities that included an outbreak into the well-being of her two best friends; something she didn't particularly appreciate, but after five years, she was still scared that one in particular could reach the non-returning point for a second time on her life. She loved them and she wanted to protect them.</p><p>Rita had left the door open and she kept walking up and down her living room, restless and paying no special attention to who was sneaking into her house taking advantage of the opening. Not so sure, but taking the hint, Vanielle left the door ajar and walked straight up to the blonde, only raising an eyebrow to question her. Realizing her presence, the golden-haired woman stopped and turned a concerned look to the contrary.</p><p> </p><p>"What happened?"</p><p> </p><p>"When Tissaia comes," Rita murmured, "I’ll tell you then".</p><p> </p><p>"I'm already here," the chestnut closed the door behind her. On her face was a concerned but relatively neutral expression, making it almost impossible to discern any emotion beyond worry. After all, she had mastered her facade.</p><p> </p><p>"Well," the blonde resumed her walk in the living room, as her friends took a seat on the couch and looked at her expectantly. She didn't know where to start or how to do that, so she just dropped it all at once, "IsleptwithPhilippa Eilhartlastnight".</p><p> </p><p>"Last night you did what? Vanielle was stunned.</p><p> </p><p>Without a word, Tissaia got up, took Rita's hand and led her to the couch to sit between her and the brunette, then look her in the eye, very serious.</p><p> </p><p>"Now you're going to tell us every last detail of everything that happened," the chestnut let the corners of her lips twist into a small, smug smile. It was her turn to poke, "I want details of everything, Ri".</p><p> </p><p>Vanielle nodded to show her agreement with Tissaia and settled down on the couch so she could look at Rita when she started talking. Both knew that the woman had a date night before, but Margarita had made sure to avoid Philippa's name on purpose, which had led them up to that point. With a sigh, the blonde sank into the sofa, staring forward, before letting some arms surround her and draw her to a warm body.</p><p>Tissaia being so physical in normal situations was virtually impossible, but when she decided to do so it was impossible to resist or complain about it. Thereby, Rita ended up lying down, her head resting on her friend’s chest and two arms around her torso, making her feel much better and calmer. Both had that effect on the other, so every time either of them needed it, the reaction was almost instinctive.</p><p> </p><p>"At first I didn't think she was flirting with me seriously because that woman flirts with everybody".</p><p> </p><p>"Well, just like you," Vanielle joked..</p><p> </p><p>"Shut up," Rita took a cushion to throw at her friend, "the thing is, when she told me about going out and have dinner I thought she said it as colleagues, even as friends, but one thing led to another, we ended up in my house and..."</p><p> </p><p>"I will ignore that you have decided to keep absolutely all the details," Tissaia rested her chin on the golden locks, "was it so bad that you panicked?"</p><p> </p><p>"No..." The woman closed her eyes and breathed a small sigh, "quite the opposite. It was fucking amazing and I think she ruined sex for me with everyone else".</p><p> </p><p>"Do you like Philippa?" Vanielle leaned forward, holding one of Rita's hands.</p><p> </p><p>"Perhaps? "</p><p> </p><p>"She definitely likes her," Tissaia's voice sounded much livelier.</p><p> </p><p>"Rita and Philippa, sitting on a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g!" This time, Vanielle was able to dodge the cushion while she was singing.</p><p> </p><p>"What have you got? Five years?" The blonde tried to turn around and run away from her own friends, but Tissaia's strong arms around her prevented her. "I can't believe you're laughing when you, Vanielle," said Rita pointing at her, "fell in love with your dog's vet, and you," she turned her head slightly to look at Tissaia, "you have a horrible taste because you just went out with me for four years… And you also hid information from us about your secret admirer," never before a change of subject had been so obvious and effective.</p><p> </p><p>"I don't keep any information!"</p><p> </p><p>"Well, you haven't told us anything about your date yesterday yet..." The blonde looked at her with her eyes squinted.</p><p> </p><p>"Nor you of yours! "</p><p> </p><p>"Tissaia's right, you haven't told us either, and we've asked about it first. Then we'll take care of that," Vanielle's immovable smile acquired a malicious nuance, while pointing to the chestnut.</p><p> </p><p>"You're the worst," Rita snorted, readjusting her position in Tissaia's arms, "we went to dinner at an Asian restaurant downtown and we talked about a thousand different things all night. I didn't know we had so many things in common, really, can you believe she was at the college boxing club when she was studying here?"</p><p> </p><p>"Oh, yes, she was kicked out for punching one of her classmates's nose out because he had made an unpleasant comment," the chestnut confirmed.</p><p> </p><p>"How do you know that? She didn’t told me that," the blonde tilted her head and looked at her, suddenly interested.</p><p> </p><p>"Because it was my class and because Istredd deserved the punch," she merely said, but seeing the intensity with which they both looked at her, she had to add. "He said that maybe with a good lay I would get my bad mood out and then he volunteered to do the honors... So Philippa turned around and hit him".</p><p> </p><p>"I definitely like that woman," Rita muttered with a sigh and a half smile, "but I'm not surprised that all the scum ends up coming together, I think they have some kind of magnet for each other".</p><p> </p><p>"Well, at least you've already noticed, when did you say you were asking her for the second date?" Vanielle got up to go to the kitchen, once that said, but she came back in a matter of seconds with three glasses and a bottle of wine.</p><p> </p><p>Ignoring her friend’s question, Rita kept going, "then I told her if it was okay for her if I walked her home, but she told me she preferred to get there later because Renfri was with someone, so she offered to walk me instead and... Well, I couldn't let her go without a kiss… Because I do kiss people, not like other women" Margarita's lips curved into a half smile, while looking directly at Tissaia, "the next thing I remember is that she had me pinned against the wall, thank you, honey," she said as she had her drink, "and then one of the best nights of my life. She left a while ago and we haven't talked much about what's been going on since then, but... Gods, I think I like it more than I've thought before".</p><p> </p><p>Vanielle and Tissaia brought their glasses closer to Rita's and toasted with her.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm glad you found someone you really like after all this time," Vanielle sat down again, and placed the blonde's legs on her so she could be closer, "what are you going to do?"</p><p> </p><p>"I think asking her on another date, I don't want to ask her to be my girlfriend and be rejected just yet," the woman wrinkled her nose, thoughtfully.</p><p> </p><p>"No one in their right use of mind would reject you,  Ri," the chestnut began to caress the golden strands again.</p><p> </p><p>"Also, if she stayed until this afternoon, she must have liked something".</p><p> </p><p>"I guess, but... "</p><p> </p><p>"But nothing, Rita, you can't expect others to do what you say if you're incapable of it yourself," Tissaia raised an eyebrow.</p><p> </p><p>"Does that mean you listened to me and kissed her? "</p><p> </p><p>"Have you kissed her?!" Vanielle nearly choked on the wine as she leaned forward.</p><p> </p><p>"Wait, don't tell me you've gone to bed with her!" Margarita had turned again to look Tissaia in the eye, but upon encountering her look, suddenly empty and unexpressed, she frowned. She quickly let go of her grip and turned around to look at the chestnut, "what happened?"</p><p> </p><p>"Nothing, nothing has happened," the chestnut rolled her eyes, "back to…"</p><p> </p><p>"Tissaia de Vries, don't you dare try to lie to me, I know that look," Rita had become completely serious.</p><p> </p><p>"I don't know what you're talking about... By the way, Nenneke came to Cintra yesterday," the chestnut ignored both women, even when Vanielle became just as serious as her other friend, something quite rare in her.</p><p> </p><p>"Great, I'm glad the Duchess is still healthy enough to go for a walk. Are you done deflecting the conversation?"</p><p> </p><p>"She has a brain tumor and she's not going to let anyone other than me operate on her," Tissaia remained neutral, despite the sad, sore expression of the brunette that soon reflected on the blonde too, "I'm not deflecting anything."</p><p> </p><p>"Fuck, I am sorry," Rita looked back at Vanielle, asking her for help quietly, "and you are, indeed, deflecting".</p><p> </p><p>"I don't, I'm just worried about the life of an old friend, I don't know why you have to think that's deflecting".</p><p> </p><p>"Because we've been your friends for over fifteen years, Ti. I know you since we were three years old," Vanielle finally moved, getting up and going across the couch to sit next to Tissaia, forcing her to stay between Rita and herself, "so we know what all your looks and faces mean," she leaned toward her to leave a kiss on her cheek. "And we're sick of you trying to lie to us when we know something's wrong with you... And I know you care about Nenneke, but I also know that's not what's changed from yesterday to today, because when I left, you weren't like this".</p><p> </p><p>"That argument has no kind of scientific basis that can support it, and besides, we're here because Rita was in a romantic crisis, not to talk about me," Tissaia's voice was trying to be stern and indifferent, but in the eyes of her friends she just looked like an angry girl trying to be right.  With a snort, the smaller woman emptied the contents of her glass.</p><p> </p><p>"We don't need a scientific basis, De Vries," Vanielle took away her glass and looked at her completely serious, "so stop behaving like an idiot and let us help".  </p><p> </p><p>Margarita's silence after that comment only served to support her. That was a battle Tissaia couldn't win. Or maybe she did, because her cell phone started ringing right then. Tissaia didn't hesitate for a moment before bending over to rescue the device and answer the call, without even bothering to look who it was. Her mind had decided that anyone was better than facing an interrogation with questions she did not want to answer.</p><p> </p><p>"Hi... Don't hang up, please".</p><p> </p><p>Well, maybe she had rushed to think that nothing could be worse than the questioning. With a resigned sigh, Tissaia sank on the couch under the watchful eyes of her two friends, who seemed to be begging her with her eyes to put the speaker; they indeed knew all her looks. The woman did absolutely nothing, for she had not overlooked that the voice on the other side of the line sounded little louder than a whisper and practically broken, as if she had spent hours crying and now she it was much hoarser and rougher.</p><p> </p><p>"I can't talk right now, I'm busy and at a friend's house," her voice was much more severe than she would have liked, but she was better off like that.</p><p> </p><p>"Oh... Well, then I'll be brief".</p><p> </p><p>"I told you I can't talk".</p><p> </p><p>"Well, then just listen. Can you do that?"</p><p> </p><p>"Piglet..." While Tissaia’s defeated sigh left her lips, Rita took the phone from the chestnut and put the speaker on. The woman did not even have a chance to complain, as the young woman began to speak anyway.</p><p> </p><p>"Look, I know I've behaved like an idiot and reacted like a spoiled child, but what I said earlier was serious, I'd rather have you as a friend than miss the opportunity to have you in my life..." Vanielle turned her head to look at Tissaia with both eyebrows raised, clearly accusing her of lack of information. Rita, however, had tilted her head, thinking that voice sounded familiar to her, even though it was too unsettled to be recognizable; the penny was in the air, "so I promise you, if that's your decision, it’s not going to hurt me. You don't have to worry about me  or about hurting me, really..."</p><p> </p><p>"Wait," Tissaia took back her phone, and turned off the speaker, approaching it to her ear as she got up. She walked to the table to leave her glass on the surface, filled it with more wine and pick it up, before approaching the window; she knew she would then have to tell the other two women everything, but she needed that little privacy to talk to the other woman about that particular topic, "it has nothing to do with friendship".</p><p> </p><p>Both Margarita and Vanielle disappeared into the kitchen, understanding the hint that she needed space for that. Tissaia drank some wine.</p><p> </p><p>"And what does it have to do with, then?" The brunette sounded so fragile and on the verge of breaking again, that it greatly affected the woman’s heart.</p><p> </p><p>"Where are you?"</p><p> </p><p>"Sodden Hill".</p><p> </p><p>"Wait there, I won't be long," a gentle whisper was all she accomplished, before she heard a sob. Unable to bear that, Tissaia hung up the call and emptied the contents of her glass again. "I'll be back in a little while!"</p><p> </p><p>She didn't even give them a chance to react or leave the kitchen, because within seconds she had left the cup back at the table, grabbed her car keys and crossed the door. Tissaia was aware that a small distraction or a second thought would ruin that momentary impulsivity that had taken over her body and she could not allow it. She didn't like the sound of Yennefer's voice at the time, how it was more than obvious that he had been crying or screaming, probably because of how things had ended between the two of them. She felt bad for making the always smiling woman sad.</p><p>As Tissaia started her car and drove to the Sodden, she couldn't help but think about how she had left the brunette's apartment and how idiotic she had been by doing so. The sad and annoyed look of those violet eyes seemed to haunt her mind since that moments, hours ago, accusing her of being the reason Yennefer had cried. But it wasn't the first time she'd made someone cry, it probably wouldn't even be the last, why did she care so much then? Why could she live quietly with the image of her students crying for not having passed the subjets, but not with Yennefer no longer smiling? How could a person she barely known have gotten into her mind and heart like that?</p><p>Sodden Hill was, in fact, a hill on the outskirts of Thanned and  possibly the only point far enough away from the city's light pollution and the island's different complexes that allowed the presence of an observatory with views so beautiful that they could take their breath away. The northern half of the hill resulted in a descent that ended on a cliff of about twenty meters, under which there were only rocks and salt water. The observatory was a recently renovated circular building, alternating a marble floor in which it had drawn a celestial map with the names of the constellations, with high walls and no  windows; the ceiling was made up of a metal and mobile dome that allowed the deployment and rotation of a telescope. Inside the building, in addition to the carved marble floor, several stone benches were also present, a small exhibition on one side and the walls painted with different drawings and explanations. Also, the interior ceiling was painted black, so different devices were used to project holograms of stars, planets, black holes and almost anything related to space bodies. However, the facilities closed at nine o'clock every day and that Sunday it was already past ten at night. All the lights were off and not a single sound beyond which some birds or crickets could make reached the ears of anyone in Sodden, letting them enjoy only the light of the crescent moon.</p><p>Tissaia stopped the car in the parking lot at the foot of the hill and got out. She had no idea where Yennefer would be in Sodden, so her best bet was to go up to the observatory and check that place surroundings to start. Without even taking her jacket, the woman began to walk in the direction of the building, choosing to follow the dirt road, not wanting to risk falling into the dim light that was there and the uns adequate shoes she wore. She was aware that she had told the brunette that it would take no time for her to get there and that the climbing would take at least fifteen minutes, but she was confident that the woman would keep waiting there, despite the delay.</p><p>By the time she reached the top of the hill, where the observatory was located, Tissaia noticed her lungs burning and threatening to come out of her mouth, despite the impossible of something like this happening. Her shoulders went up and down accompanying her fast breaths and a couple of drops of sweat pearled her forehead. Finally, it had only taken eight minutes, but her body resented the brief pressure she had put on with that uphill race. Tissaia took a couple of minutes to get back together and looked around, searching for the brunette, for there was no trace of her.</p><p>When Tissaia began to round the observatory, she turned her head back to make sure the young woman was not there and it was then that she realized the building door was not properly closed. In a couple of steps, the chestnut returned to the entrance and placed both hands on the door, carefully pushing it in. The lights were off, but not the holograms on the ceiling, which were projecting a global view of the Andromeda galaxy, giving it blue and violet colors, while spinning on itself with mesmerizing slowness.</p><p>Tissaia's eyes left the image to travel through the circular room until she discovered Yennefer lying on one of the stone benches, her eyes fixed on the hologram and her cheeks still wet with traces of some tears. Tissaia's heart shrugged —although the woman would deny that it did happen— to that image and again it was her impulses that took control of her body, forcing her to approach her. Tissaia took off her heels and sat on the ground with her legs crossed, her back resting against the stone bench and her head tilted back to look at the galaxy.</p><p> </p><p>"I thought you wouldn't come," there it was again, a voice too fragile and rough, almost afraid to utter words.</p><p> </p><p>"It had been a long time since I didn’t come here, I forgot how far away it was. I'm sorry I took me so long," the chestnut was forced to swallow the knot formed in her throat, "but nothing would have stopped me from coming after telling you I would".</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia dared to look away from the hologram, tilting her head a little and fixing her eyes on the young woman's face. Yennefer, however, could not do the same, aware that by doing so she would only be able to cry, kiss her, behave like an idiot or maybe the three at the same time.</p><p> </p><p>"How did you get in here? I'm pretty sure it had to be closed," deflecting the conversation was so natural to the older one that she almost didn't realize she had when they hadn't even started talking about what happened.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm good at forcing locks and they don't even have cameras or alarms here... Even animals don't feel like getting up here," she confessed.</p><p> </p><p>"One day you're going to get handcuffed, and I won't be the one to do it," the chestnut joked, with a shadow of a smile on her lips.</p><p> </p><p>"Too bad," she clicked her tongue, following the joke, "but you can still be the first one," a moment of silence passed before she asked, "why did you come?"</p><p> </p><p>There was no immediate response this time, just a long silence that neither woman wanted to break. Tissaia knew what the answer was, but part of her refused to articulate it, as if that could make it less real. Looking back at the galaxy, she tried to find the best words to say, no matter how complicated the task was.</p><p> </p><p>"Because someone once told me there's nothing uglier than a pretty girl crying," she moistened her lips, but she couldn't hold her tongue and added, "and because you're so much more than a pretty girl, Yennefer".</p><p> </p><p>A new silence, though this time much shorter.</p><p> </p><p>"Clearly, I'm a beautiful woman with an impressive ass and a sharp tongue," though she tried to sound as confident as ever, her voice trembled and her words sounded sarcastic and full of poison directed to herself.</p><p> </p><p>"Yes, you are," Tissaia regayed, frowning. Before she knew it, she had thrown her left arm back, above his head, to look for the brunette's limb and take her hand carefully, "you are that and much more," her fingers intertwined in such a natural and unconscious way that the union of their hands seemed natural, as if it had always been there. "Not only you are beautiful and you have a spectacular ass... Although I will deny saying that and the fact that I’ve stared at it," a funny little snort on Yennefer's part was enough for Tissaia to continue, "you're also one of the funniest people I've ever met, no matter how much I hate the jokes you make... By the gods, you told me my way of speaking left you aphasic and I don’t even know if you know what that means".</p><p> </p><p>"Do you remember that? "Yennefer sounded really surprised and soft, her eyes finally reaching the profile of the chestnut.</p><p> </p><p>"I suppose that's what's got when leaving the stars in a bad place," Tissaia's lips curved to one side, but she didn't take her eyes off the projection, she could imagine the pink color that should be growing on Yennefer's cheeks, "but on top of all that, you're also one of the best people I've ever met. You gave me your hoodie and tried to cheer me up the first time we met, when you didn't know anything about me and you didn't have to do it," Tissaia let her thumb caress the back of the younger woman's hand, preventing her from complaining or saying anything. "But you were right about something, he's an idiot who doesn't deserve a single thought of me, so I guess that's why, since that moment, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you, because you do deserve all of my thoughts" with a snort, the  chestnut angled her head to look more closely at the image, noticing a small variation in the galaxy, which distracted her for a few seconds, before she picked up her speech. "And I know it's not right, that it's not fair, and that I'm a horrible person to tell you. I know you'd probably be better off without knowing it. It's selfish that, being married, I look at someone else, but, let's face it, Yennefer, you're a fucking blue star in the middle of an empty universe and it's impossible that I'm not attracted to you in every way possible. You could be a blackhole and I’d gladly die just to get closer to you" Tissaia's fingers gently caressed the other woman's knuckles, "but worst of all, I don't want to stop feeling that way, I don't want to stop thinking about you, or stop hearing your voice, or read your awful jokes. And no, I don't just want to be your friend, because I don't care to meet you for a day, a week or a year; in this time you have made me feel much more than anyone before and I am unable to bear the thought that you have a hard time because of me, that someone can hurt you for being with me and, above all, I could not live with the idea of being the one who hurts you," when Tissaia's eyes managed to perch on the violet orbs, the shape of these, was blurred by the tears that tarnished the view of the chestnut. "I would never forgive myself for hurting you, Yennefer, and in the situation I'm in, that's all that's going to happen, not  just because I am married, but because--" Tissaia couldn't finish her speech because, in a quick move, Yennefer's free hand had surrounded her head and pushed her cheek to force her to turn her head. Yennefer had move just enough to press her lips on Tissaia’s with an incredible softness, forcing her to shut up and, probably, killing her at the place.</p><p> </p><p>The kiss was brief and little more than a touch of her lips, but it was enough to completely melt both women's nervous system and ruin any more words Tissaia planned to say. By the time Yennefer leaned back —her eyes wide open with concern and her whole body tense— the chestnut didn't even know what she had been talking about before, or how she had been able to live until then without kisses like that, without Yennefer’s mouth on hers. The small brush of their lips was enough to get the teacher to raise two vital questions: was it worth the risk? And, was she willing to take it?</p><p> </p><p>The answer to both questions was selfish, but it was the same in both cases.</p><p> </p><p>"You talk too much," Yennefer muttered, a few inches from the other's face, trying to justify her actions.</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia rolled her eyes and leaned forward, looking for the brunette's lips a second time. This kiss was not only a faint contact,  but the complete union of their mouths, marked by the need to explore and memorize each other's lips; the  kiss  mas was hungry and much more passionate, but both women kept treating the other with great care and softness, worried about whether she was going to disappear or break from one moment to the next, as if what was going on was nothing more than one of their dreams and as soon as they opened their eyes or put some distance, everything would be broken into a thousand pieces.</p><p>The minutes passed and both had to end up withdrawing to get some air and soothe their fast breaths. Yennefer rested her forehead on Tissaia's, still with her eyes closed, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling of having her lips swollen and trying to clarify her thoughts to say something coherent, while one of her arms continued to round Tissaia's neck, she moved her thumb to caress her cheek. The chestnut had ended up leaning forward and looking at Yennefer's face, so she got lost in every little detail it had. Still, it was Tissaia the first to say something, the smile on her lips reflected in her voice, even though this was still just a whisper.</p><p> </p><p>"Are you going to shut me up like this every time I talk?"</p><p> </p><p>"Do you want me to?"</p><p> </p><p>"Maybe," Tissaia bit Yennefer's lower lip and gently pulled it, taking a gasp from the youngest.</p><p> </p><p>"Nothing will beat the eroticism of you shuting me up," it sounded like a complain, but not a serious one.</p><p> </p><p>Without a word, Tissaia used her free hand to gently touch the other's face and placed her index finger on the brunette's lips. The way Yennefer opened her eyes surprised was enough for Tissaia's smile to wave to one side, much less innocently.</p><p> </p><p>"The first time you did that you were about to kill me," when she spoke, the chestnut finger was left on Yennefer's lower lip, but the woman did not withdraw her hand, "and this time it's no different," yet this time she did dare to do what she couldn't the previous time, tilting her head forward and causing the woman's finger to end up in her mouth, before sucking at it. She kept her eyes fixed on the blue orbs all the time, being able to appreciate how the color was replaced almost instantly by a black pupil and how the woman struggled to suppress any audible or overly obvious reactions, even though Yennefer already knew she had achieved what she wanted by doing that. The woman jaw was tense, but not in the same way that it did when she was tense or angry, it was a kind of sexy tension, as Yennefer saw it.</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia moved, trying to find a more comfortable position that made her less aware of the way the situation had escalated, or how suddenly hot the room was, or how Yennefer's tongue wrapped in her finger, wet and warm. Her chest began to rise and go down heavily, the blush rising from her neck up to her cheeks and down to her belly, she needed to close her eyes to maintain a minimum of sanity in her mind. As much as she tried to blame that on the two glasses of wine she had drunk, the woman became increasingly aware of the effects Yennefer had on her.</p><p>When the brunette finally let go of Tissaia's finger, the woman lacked time to replace it with her own lips, needing to find any way to quell the fire she had caused inside of her. As much as she moved or changed her position, the discomfort caused by the state of excitement, in which she was into with such a simple thing, did not seem to diminish or disappear, so Tissaia tried to simply squeeze her thighs, hoping that would be enough. Her left hand was still linked to Yennefer's and her right hand traveled to the young woman's neck, as the chestnut sought to deepen the kiss. When Tissaia opened her mouth and her tongue was about to ask for permission against the brunette's lips, she found them open and more than willing to allow her into her mouth. Yennefer did not seem willing to argue about dominance in that kiss and both had to drown out some sound in each other's mouths, especially when it was the younger woman’s hand the one that began to come down, from Tissaia's cheek to her neck and from there to her shoulder. However, Yennefer stopped at the other woman's collarbone, without daring to go any further without explicit permission.</p><p>That gesture practically broke Tissaia, who moved her lips away from the woman to bury her face against her chest, not reaching the brunette's neck. When Yennefer felt something warm dampening the fabric of her T-shirt, she did not hesitate a second to raise her hand again and use it to caress the woman's neck, letting her let go of everything she seemed to keep, despite the disturbingly silent way Tissaia cried. It took her a few minutes to dare to talk, but she eventually did try.</p><p> </p><p>"Everything is going to be fine," she wasn't sure why she had chosen those particular words, but they seemed to be enough for Tissaia to further bury her face against her body. "Though if I kiss as badly as it seems, you could have told me after the first one," the brunette laughed as the hand that had previously been on her neck moved to hit the back of it so softly that she could have missed it if not for the intention to express Tissaia's disagreement over those words, "it is not my fault that the expectations you had with my tongue have not been met you happen to have such high standards for someone that sort" Tissaia snorted, but even that sounded livelier than her previous silence. "I know, I know, it's not hard for anything to be higher than you".</p><p> </p><p>"Yennefer! "Tissaia threw her head back to look at her with an attempt to be a killing look, but she only found a warm smile and a worried look, despite how cheeky the voice of the brunette would have sounded, it seemed that she was just looking to cheer her up, "you're an idiot," and, contrary to her words, Tissaia brought her face closer to that of the brunette and met her lips again, softly and tenderly.</p><p> </p><p>"But I'm your idiot," she replied after the kiss, winking at her, "would you like to see the stars with me for a while?"</p><p> </p><p>"Yes, you are," she breathed. "I'd love to," Tissaia's lips finally gave rise to a little smile.</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer moved a little to get closer to the edge of the bench and the chestnut rested her head back on the young woman's chest, while still looking at her. Confused, Yennefer frowned and looked at her as the hologram went from producing a galaxy to being an exact representation of the day’s sky.</p><p> </p><p>"Don't look at me like that, Piglet, I've told you before that you were a star," the confidence with which those words were uttered had an almost instant effect on the brunette's cheeks, whose red color remained hidden only by the dim light of the room.</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer knew that it was hard for Tissaia to use that kind of metaphors, due to the scientific inaccuracy, so it was so beautiful and romantic right then that she felt her eyes getting wetter. The eyes of both women remained fixed on each other's orbs, a new and comfortable silence settling between the two. This time it was Yennefer who broke it, at the very moment when her gaze traveled to the hologram of the firmament.</p><p> </p><p>"You're the first person who has told me something that beautiful," the brunette's fingers played distractedly with some hair that had been freed from the braided bun at the back of Tissaia's neck, who just kept quiet to let Yennefer say everything she needed. "My family was shit, just like all my exes... In fact, the only family I have are my best friend, her girlfriend and my dumbass third best friend," she confessed. She wasn't sure why she was telling those things to Tissaia, but the way she made her feel simply seemed to invite her to open up and let her read her as an open book, "and I'm often fine with it, I don't mind having no relation to my blood family, but sometimes... Gods, if they had just told me something nice once, if they had told me they loved me..."</p><p> </p><p>"You wouldn’t feel like you're the only electron of a hydrogen atom, orbiting itself around a nucleus you're never going to belong to?" Offered the woman.</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer nodded, Tissaia's cheek against her chest produced a feeling so warm that it almost erased the way her heart seemed to weigh more and more while sinking into her chest with each beat. Perhaps the reference had not been the most poetic, but it represented quite well the way she felt when she thought about it. In fact, it wasn't until Tissaia spoke again that the brunette stopped to think about how someone who wasn't herself could have described her feelings so well.</p><p> </p><p>"Sometimes it's hard to face emotions," Tissaia took Yennefer's hand to her lips and left a kiss on it, before answering her silent question. "When I was a baby my mother abandoned me," the brunette eyes were wide open in surprise, but she dared not interrupt "she left me at the door of a familiar restaurant in the middle of winter. Adalia, Calanthe's mother, found me when she opened the door and she was the best mother I could have ever asked for, she gave me a home, a family and many more opportunities than someone like me deserved. But a part of me still feels like an intruder many times, as if Cintra wasn't my house, as if any day Calanthe could be going to realize that I'm an extra, that I don’t belong there and she would stop talking to me or she’d ask me never to come back… I know my biological mother probably wanted to give me a better life, but I can’t stop thinking that she just didn’t want a burden like me on her life".</p><p> </p><p>"I often get the feeling that one day, when we argue, Brina won't want to hear from me anymore and I'll lose her forever," Yennefer looked back at the stars, trying to ignore the stinging of her eyes.</p><p> </p><p>"Have you ever talked to her about this?"</p><p> </p><p>"No, what about you and Calanthe?"</p><p> </p><p>"At first I didn't, but then someone important to me told me I needed to start sharing my emotions or they'd consume me. There are people, like Calanthe, who control their emotions and know how to express them, then there are people, like us, who are consumed by them," she sighed, "at first it was horribly difficult and I felt stupid, but Cal understood that I wasn’t blaming her for what I was feeling and that it was just another one of my insecurities. She even asked me to call her and talk to her every time I felt that way, because she had no problem showing me how much she loved me. It made me understand that family wasn't always determined by people who share your blood, but it is by those around you who love you the way you deserve. If there's one thing I've learned, it’s that family means to always be together and have our backs, no matter what, and, even if we sometimes argue or think differently, if something ever happens, we're always going to be together and we’re going to be there for each other," Tissaia wetted her lips, blinking to get rid of a couple of tears. "So I think you should talk to your friend about it, because I'm sure if she really loves you, she’ll help you understand just that".</p><p> </p><p>"What if she doesn't?" Fear was more than obvious in those four words.</p><p> </p><p>"Would you rather live your whole life with fear and doubt, waiting for the day when everything blows up?"</p><p> </p><p>"I..." The doubt had invaded her and she was not able to answer honestly, for she did not know the answer. <em>'Even if you were a beauty, no one will love you if you don't learn to love yourself first,'</em> the quote continued to be engraved in her mind after all these years, but it was still so appropriate that it was impossible not to remember it, not to remember her and her debt. No, after all these years, Yennefer had not yet learned to love herself.</p><p> </p><p>Understanding how the brunette must be feeling, Tissaia turned her gaze to the holograms, letting it be.</p><p> </p><p>"Do you know the name of any constellation?"</p><p> </p><p>"Love, I'm a physics and astrophysics teacher, I know them all," Tissaia smiled, hoping to cheer her up a little bit.</p><p> </p><p>"I only know a couple. Can you tell me how each one is called? Do they have strange scientific names?"</p><p> </p><p>"If you ask me properly..." The chestnut turned her head to look at Yennefer, rising an eyebrow.</p><p> </p><p>"Do you think a kiss for every name is a good deal? "Yennefer looked her in the eye, letting some of the joy and vitality return to her face, along with a somewhat more playful expression.</p><p> </p><p>"I think that's an offer I won't be able to reject, but I need some motivation first," Tissaia waited for her first kiss before she started. Once they parted, her chest moving on heavy breaths, she used the hand that Yennefer didn't hold to point out some of the stars, following their forms and pronouncing each of their names, as well as adding a brief summary of their history and a few technical and scientific data.</p><p> </p><p>With everyone of them, Yennefer leaned towards her to kiss her forehead, cheek, nose, lips, chin and any part of her face she could reach at the time. When there was none left to name in that hologram, the brunette had Tissaia surrounded by one of her arms, which crossed her torso and her hand rested at her waist, and the older woman had ended up fitting her head over Yennefer's collarbone, so that only a slight movement would suffice for the lips of either to come into contact with the other. A growing hickey on Tissaia’s throat, that none of them had noticed, and the uncomfortable wetness between the two women legs was the only thing showing a hint of what had been happening.</p><p>Perhaps it was due to the novelty of that closeness, but every second that passed, it seemed more difficult to have to be a single centimeter away from each other. Both were too comfortable and calm with every caress, kiss and point their bodies touched, so the idea of having to leave sounded practically like a direct attack on the chest of either woman. However, Yennefer was unable to disguise one yawn —of the lots she had been hiding for longer than an hour, threatening to form in her mouth. It must be around four in the morning, but both Tissaia and Yennefer struggled to stay awake and protect that precious moment as much as possible.</p><p>However, Tissaia's rational and protective part prevailed when she heard that last yawn, eventually causing her to move. Her body was numb by the position she had remained in for so long, some of her nerves pinched and her limbs moderately useless. Yennefer growled and tried to keep her still so she wouldn't walk away, but the chestnut placed both hands on the woman’s cheeks and left a tender and careful kiss on her lips.</p><p> </p><p>"Let me take you home".</p><p> </p><p>"Only if you stay to sleep with me..." The brunette protested, her face giving rise to a small pout.</p><p> </p><p>"I have to work, Piglet," Tissaia bit her lower lip and pulled gently, before trying to extract herself from the girl a second time.</p><p> </p><p>"We can call and say that we are sick, sleep late and take advantage of the rest of the day to..." She didn't even finish the sentence, being able to see on the face of the woman she couldn't convince her. Sitting up, she let her go, "you can also leave earlier and we can just sleep, but it's too late for you to drive alone to your house".</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia frowned and raised her wrist on which she wore the watch to look at the time, having to raise both eyebrows when she saw how late —or sooner, depending on the look— it was. She thought about it for a few seconds, but ended up nodding.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm leaving at seven".</p><p> </p><p>"Then you're only going to sleep less than three hours," the brunette protested, as she stretched, reaching out to Tissaia’s hand to get up from the bench as well.</p><p> </p><p>"Better three than none," no heels, her height was much smaller, so she had to tiptoe to be able to kiss Yennefer, "I can't leave all the work to my assistant, I've been overcharging her lately and having to ask her to spend all day without me is not an option. So, do you take it or leave it?"</p><p> </p><p>"I'm going to have to get jealous of your assistant because she steals more hours of time from you than I do," Yennefer's childish tone was enough for the woman to know she didn't mean it, which made her feel more relaxed. The brunette leaned down and lazily kissed her, "but I am taking it".</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia moved to go where she had left her heels and put them on, satisfied with the extra centimeters they provided. When she turned to the door, her lips drew a broad smile when an outstretched hand was waiting for her, suspended in the air as an offer. Tissaia took her hand and walked with Yennefer, leaving the observatory and then moving down the hill, taking the same path Tissaia had gone up. It took them almost half an hour to get down the hill, stopping here and there due to the urgent need to join her lips once again. They said practically nothing until they got to the car.</p><p>Yennefer stood still, with the door open, staring inside the vehicle. There was something that had been circling at the bottom of her mind and that now had decided to move to the surface, preventing her from keep going. The words Tissaia had said before were the only thing that prompted her to say what she felt aloud, rather than keeping it and waiting for it to consume her.</p><p> </p><p>"Hey..." Yennefer pressed the door plate tightly and bit her lower lip, nervous, unable to look at the chestnut or to continue speaking.</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia rounded the vehicle to meet the young woman and, with great care, pulled her hand to make her let go of the door. She made Yennefer lean against the back door and took the two hands of the girl, intertwining their fingers again. Tissaia gave her time to look for the words she wanted to say or to just look at her, which made Yennefer feel better, but she did not press and just stood still, watching her for nearly ten minutes, until a trembling whisper erased the silence.</p><p> </p><p>"I... I don't want you to think I'm going to ask you to leave your husband, or anything like that..." Yennefer wasn't looking at her yet, "I guess you married him for some reason and... I wouldn't want to wreck your marriage either, so I understand that this can only be an affair and," anything else she wanted to say was cushioned on Tissaia's lips, which with a single kiss seemed willing to throw away everything the brunette had just said.</p><p> </p><p>The kiss was long, intense and was riddled with emotions and intentions, even though neither of them had dared to say them aloud or could do so, clearly enough. Still, the only thing that seemed right to Tissaia was to try.</p><p> </p><p>"My marriage has been wrecked since the beginning, love, and no, Yennefer, this is not an affair for me… Unless you want it to be. I mean, I won’t force you to give me more than you want to give and I’d understand if you didn’t want to be tangled on a mess like this one", Tissaia's thumbs delicately caressed the young woman's cheeks.</p><p> </p><p>"Isn’t it?" Yennefer's broken voice shattered the chestnut every time it reached her ears and it made her surer of what she had just said.</p><p> </p><p>Yes, Yennefer had lied when he had said he wouldn't hurt her if she just wanted to be her friend... But Tissaia was also lying to her when she didn’t tell her that the only reason she hadn't kissed her before was the terror she felt about the idea of Vilgefortz hurting her. Maybe if they were careful everything would be fine, maybe they'd have a chance.</p><p> </p><p>"No. Look at me, Yenna" she moistened her lips, and waited for me to open her eyes to continue, "you're much more than an affair, a one-night stand, or whatever's going through your head right now. If a night is all we can have is fine, but I want so much more with you".</p><p> </p><p>"I want everything with you…" Muttered the brunette, "and if the mess I’ll end up tangled in, means I’ll get to hug you, kiss you or whatever you let me do to soy, I will gladly want to tangle myself in," she fixed her eyes on the blue ones, smiling softly, "I just don’t want you to get hurt".</p><p> </p><p>"Right now, nothing could hurt me more than the thought of losing you, Piglet".</p><p> </p><p>"Sooooo… I'm the star of your universe, you said?" The smug smile was back on Yennefer’s lips.</p><p> </p><p>"Rather of my planetary system..." Tissaia smiled. "The universe does not have a defined center and has millions of stars, however, a planetary system usually has one star and several planets orbiting around it".</p><p> </p><p>"And how do you say when a star orbits another star?"</p><p> </p><p>"Star system, why?"</p><p> </p><p>"Because no matter how badly you leave the stars, it would be impossible to deny that you too belong to the sky and that you are one of them. You’d have to check the force of your gravity because it has been dragging me to you from the moment I entered your atmosphere," in the face of Yennefer's comparison, the woman could only laugh and kiss her again. And oh, gods, that sound was the most beautiful thing Yennefer had ever heard.</p><p> </p><p>"Stars do not have an atmosphere as such... I told you they were luminous spheroids of plasma," despite the reprimand, the smaller woman was still smiling, "but I guess we could leave it on us being a binary star system because we both orbit around a common mass center".</p><p> </p><p>"You don't get a sense of how sexy you sound every time you start talking about scientific things, do you?" Yennefer let her lips roam on Tissaia’s neck, "and I kind of feel that the mass center is my butt, even if you won’t recognize you can’t stop looking at it," Tissaia laughed again.</p><p> </p><p>"Don't talk nonsense, Piglet," Tissaia rolled her eyes and let freed one hand to let it wander until it cupped the brunette ass, "I am more giving to touch it than to stare at it, right now," that said, she withdrew, a few steps back and a cheeky smile on her lips, "we should go before daylight".</p><p> </p><p>With a dramatic sigh, Yennefer nodded and returned to the co-pilot's door, entering the vehicle this time. Having clarified the nature of their something-ship —she didn’t dare to call it relationship just yet—, a part of her felt much less guilty and horrible for the possibility of hurting the <em>world's prettiest woman, </em>just as some peace of mind had been given to her with the new information discovered. If Sky considered it much more than an affair, perhaps the universe had decided to smile at her for once in her life, after so many years... And, honestly, if everything that had happened to her in life had taken her to that woman's arms, Yennefer had no doubt that any suffering from her past had been worth it. She felt so warm and happy at the moment that she’d started to think she could fly if she couldn’t imagine the woman’s reaction at saying such a thing.</p><p> </p><p>The remaining two hours until Tissaia had to leave Yennefer's house —before any of the brunette's flatmates returned or woke up, if they were there— to have enough time to return home, shower, change, and go to the office, passed quite calmly and warmly. Both women slept deeply, only hugging and keeping their bodies glued together for every second they could. While Yennefer again insisted that she called sick —aware that she would get nothing but a consolation kiss— both seemed to have renewed strength to face the week and visible happiness around them.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I am sorry about the summary, I did have to try to joke on the main plot of the chapter.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Thighs</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Okay, this was harder to translate because it's almost 11k, so I'm sorry.</p><p>I wanted to split it, but I didn't find the right moment and said "well, this may made it up for the delay", so here it goes. All mistakes on my own and I am really sorry for what happens, you have your reasons to be scared of what I can make he-who-must-not-be-named do to Tissaia for it.</p><p>Italics are for texts, 1 flashback and emphasis, I hope they are easy to identify each.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As every morning, Tissaia arrived more than half an hour early to her office and sank into her chair, closing her eyes. She was sleepy, yes, but she wouldn't change anything that happened the night before and the constant smile on her lips betrayed her more than she would like. Since she left Yennefer's house she had been trying to erase that stupid curvature from her lips, but not even thinking about her shitty husband managed to overshadow the endorphin high from which her body was preyed on every time violet eyes and a sweet voice returned to her memory.</p><p>She took her cell phone out of her purse and quickly wrote a<em> 'good morning'</em> text to Yennefer, before leaving the device forgotten in a corner of the table and closing her eyes again. She didn't want to fall asleep, but there was some emotion in being, for once, the first one to write a message in the morning. That day she played with an advantage, however, because when she had left Yennefer seemed willing to stick to the plan to call sick and skip work. She could not blame her, she herself felt her body numb in some areas and her mind less agile and awoke than usual; hopefully, the latter would be solved by a cup of coffee.</p><p> </p><p>"Are you going to tell me who writes to you every day to make you smile like that?" Triss hadn't even left his purse, still near the door and looking at her boss with both eyebrows raised.</p><p> </p><p>"It's a long story," she confessed.</p><p> </p><p>"One that interests me a lot if it makes you smile that way," the young woman put her purse aside and sat directly on one of the chairs in front of Tissaia, with a puppy face, "pretty please?"</p><p> </p><p>"Give me a good reason to do it," even if it was impossible to deny Triss anything, Tissaia needed to try to play hard…. But she probably wouldn't have done it if she'd known that the chestnut, instead of putting more adorable eyes and faces, she'd choose to give her a reason.</p><p> </p><p>"Because I consider you a second mother to me and you're the closest to one I've had since mine died," the young woman's soft voice took her by surprise, but not as much as her words. In an attempt to answer, Tissaia opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, causing Triss to frown. "Why are you looking at me like that? I thought you knew."</p><p> </p><p>"I... I wasn’t... I mean... I didn't think that..." Taking air slowly, the chestnut cursed internally the weird weekend that had left her without a single functional cell in her brain, "I didn't think you cared so much about me, I thought I was only your boss".</p><p> </p><p>"Oh," Triss twisted her lips, worried, "I-I'm sorry".</p><p> </p><p>"Don't, it's just..." Tissaia wrinkled her nose, being able to hear Vilgefortz's voice in her head, the same words repeating themselves over and over again: <em>'Not</em> <em>even saving the world, someone might start to like you, even less love you</em>.' She had always thought that he was right and that, sooner or later, everyone would realize too; that Rita and Vanielle's love was only a temporary hoax, that Triss was only treating her well because she was her boss, that Calanthe... Tissaia kept her eyes open, aware that blinking would push the moisture that began to spread in her orbs; However, she looked down and whispered, "why?"</p><p> </p><p>"Why what?" The girl's frown was only more visible.</p><p> </p><p>"Why would you want to think of me like that?" Tissaia did not move, but her voice trembled slightly.</p><p> </p><p>"Like that?" Triss almost seemed upset with the question, until something Rita had told her the week before came afloat among her memories.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <em>"Don't blame her for not telling you anything, you're one of the people she trusts the most."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I know and I understand she has her secrets, but..."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"It's not about secrets, Triss... Tissaia has always had it very difficult to handle any emotion, but since Vilgefortz entered her life, her mind is a disaster. It's not just about him beating her, it's the way he treats her, how he talks to her, and what he tells her. How many times have you seen Tissaia look down?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Never, not even with Stregobor," confessed the young woman.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Exactly, but with Vilgefortz she doesn't even try to look him in the eye... What he has done to her is..." Margarita hit the wall, frustrated, as she bit the inside of her cheek until blood came out, "he has destroyed her self-esteem, taken her insecurities and exploited them to the point of breaking her. You can tell her that you love her and she will think that you do it out of commitment, you can tell her that you care about her and she will believe that it is only for education... She probably thinks that you consider her nothing more than a bitch and a witch, that everyone does, but that some of us disguise it well."</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><hr/><p>
  
</p><p>"Tissaia," the young woman extended her hands to take the older woman hands, and looked her in the eye, with a radiant smile, despite her desire to drop an anvil on a certain surgeon's head, "you have made me the woman I am now. If it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't have gotten over my first week in college, and I'm sure you can't deny it because it's too objective," in the face of Tissaia's shy nod, Triss continued, "it was you who taught me what my true passion was, who offered to help me with my problems, who tutored me for more than eight hours a week just to make sure I was doing well in every subject, from the first to the last year. It was you who chose me as an adjunct teacher between more than twenty candidates and you're one of the two people I spend the longest time with and to whom I tell pretty much everything about my life," Triss wrinkled her nose, though she couldn't hold back a couple of tears, "so, if at some point you're dumb enough to think I don't love you or I don't consider you a mother, I'll find myself in the obligation to remind you every day, do you hear me?"</p><p> </p><p>Surely her extreme sensitivity would be Yennefer's fault... Or maybe on that occasion Triss could take all the credit. But the point was that the tears had dared to roll down the teacher's cheeks, while the younger woman's words pierced her decisively. She didn't get it, she didn't understand why Triss felt that way, but she was aware that she wasn't lying to her. Yes, Triss lied horribly, but that wasn't all; what really made her aware that she meant it was the serious, loving look that the young woman had directed towards her.</p><p>Finally, Tissaia moved her head to nod, biting her lower lip to contain a silent sob. Triss, however, took the opportunity to get up and round the desk, hugging the eldest without warning. She also did not ask before leaving a loud kiss on her cheek, but Tissaia's calm reaction on her arms was more than enough.</p><p> </p><p>"Well, I'm glad I made that clear. Shall I call you mom now?"</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia emitted a measured sigh and then turned her head to look at the other woman, having remembered something and, to nobody’s surprise, deflecting.</p><p> </p><p>"Was the card I received on Mother's Day yours?"</p><p> </p><p>"Hm... Maybe?"</p><p> </p><p>"It’s just… You left a coma," Tissaia smiled, watching the girl's cheeks turn pink, "and it was beautiful, thank you," now she was the one who left a kiss on the woman's face, "for everything. I'm not... Especially good with feelings, so... This... I'm also very fond of you and I'm very proud of the woman you've become."</p><p> </p><p>Hearing Triss's sobbing, the woman carried her two hands to the young woman's cheeks and she dried out some tears, smiling tenderly at her. She knew she wasn't as good at communicating emotions as most people, but she wanted to try, she didn't deserve less than that.</p><p> </p><p>"A few weeks ago I met someone very kind, I also found her in Cintra a week ago and gave her my number," the only thing Tissaia could think of, so Triss could see that she was serious and trusted by her, was to tell her about Yennefer.</p><p> </p><p>"Is that why you laughed when I came in last Monday? Was she texting you? Is she funny? Is she cute? Is she beautiful?" Indeed, there was nothing better than a love story to encourage the young woman, even if there was no love yet.</p><p> </p><p>"Yes," the answer was the same to all the questions, anyway, "the idiot has horrible occurrences," despite her words, Tissaia smiled, saying it fondly, "we had a date on Saturday and she nearly fell because of me, so I offered to make it up to her yesterday... And don't look at me like that! Not in a sexual sense, by the goddesses, Triss!" The young woman had twisted her face in a grimace between surprised and fakely disgusted that disappeared upon confirmation, "I only offered her a massage!"</p><p> </p><p>"That's very sexual, Tissaia!" The grimace had returned to Triss's face.</p><p> </p><p>"But it was just a leg massage! Not elsewhere!"</p><p> </p><p>"That’s even more sexual! Nevermind, skip that, what happened next?"</p><p> </p><p>"There’s nothing to skip, though… I was about to ask her for another date, Vilgefortz called me, I panicked and we argued," Triss's drowned cry was worthy of an expectant audience, immersed on the story, but by the time Tissaia set out to continue, her office door suddenly opened.</p><p> </p><p>Triss jumped back, separating himself from her boss and trying to disguise nervously that she had been hugging her. However, Vanielle's face with both eyebrows raised and a mocking expression forced her to relax and shook her head, lightly; for a moment she had feared that it would be Stregobor or he-who-must-not-be-named. How could it be possible that even without being present h could ruin so many things?</p><p>Vanielle had three cups on her hands, the brown one she always used, with a sugary positive message, Tissaia’s black one, with several stars and a galaxy drawn, and the emerald green one, with no more detail than carefully printed red lips on one side. Triss frowned upon seeing the three cups, and Tissaia sank into her seat, as if she was a little girl aware that she had done something wrong and that someone was going to scold her for it. The brunette left all three cups on the teacher's desk and gave Triss a warm smile, as Coral and Philippa entered behind her.</p><p> </p><p>"Good morning!" Triss took the orange cup, also with an overly positive message, that Coral gave her, while they all greeted and the last two settled on the girl's desk, as always. Triss, who was still next to Tissaia, looked at the green cup and then at Vanielle, "what about that cup?"</p><p> </p><p>Practically invoked by the question, the office door opened without anyone calling first to give rise to a woman with golden hair and blue eyes who smiled animatedly.</p><p> </p><p>"Good morning! How are the prettiest women in this university feeling today?" After saying that, Rita winked at Philippa without any kind of disguise, making her roll her eyes and smile.</p><p> </p><p>"Don't pretend you talk to us all when you don't, some of us have some dignity left," Vanielle took the green cup and offered it to Rita, then took the black cup and approached Tissaia to give it to her, leaving a kiss on her temple like every day.  She then moved to sit in the chair in front of Tissaia's desk, her eyes reaching a… Was that a fucking hickey?</p><p> </p><p>"Where's your assistant?" Coral had already taken a cookie and sat in a chair in front of Triss's desk, "I’ve heard she's lovely, you should bring her".</p><p> </p><p>"She wrote to say that she would arrive just in time for class, apparently she was a little unwell," Margarita shrugged her shoulders carefree and let her broad smile light up the room, though there were two people in it who could see that it was nothing more than a facade.</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia gave her coffee a sip to suppress a sigh and cursed internally. She didn't know what she'd done, but she did know she was in trouble. Rita turned her back on Coral and Philippa and, with that simple twist, her face became completely serious, causing a small shiver in Triss. The blonde had nailed her eyes to Tissaia's and yet she could make anyone feel as if the one in danger was everyone else.</p><p> </p><p>"What are you doing here, Rita?" Tissaia kept her eyes on her friend’s as she lowered her cup.</p><p> </p><p>"I’ve come for an explanation, my love," just as Vanielle had done, she came to greet Tissaia, but instead of kissing her temple, her lips rested on the corner of Tissaia’s. Triss suspected that the only reason they hadn't met Tissaia's lips entirely was because the chestnut had turned her face a little bit.</p><p> </p><p>"I don't know what you're talking about," while Tissaia expected her friend to step aside, Rita just sat at the desk as close to her as possible, causing her skirt to climb up her legs. If she wasn't so smart, Tissaia would have thought she was doing all that to provoke her, but she could almost see how Philippa pretended not to be staring at Rita, which made her roll her eyes.</p><p> </p><p>"She’s talking about you leaving us alone all night with dinner prepared and a bottle of Toussaint wine open," just like the night before, Vanielle serious face was back, "you said you were coming back in a few minutes and you look like you didn’t even slept at home".</p><p> </p><p>While Triss might notice that she was outplaced in that conversation, she did not want to leave Tissaia to her fatal fate when they were clearly going to scold her for something. Instinctively she moved towards the teacher, until she was glued to her chair on the side where the blonde was not. She could see the grateful look on the woman’s face, but she didn't expect her to go and take her hand to give it a gentle squeeze.</p><p> </p><p>"It’s all right, dear. Enjoy breakfast, the quantum class is going to be intense today".</p><p> </p><p>Triss nodded. Something was telling her that Tissaia was just trying to keep her away from what looked like two hurricanes about to collide with her and that she'd probably tell her about it later, so she complied and she left her alone with the two women going to meet Coral and Philippa instead. Tissaia waited until she sat down to look at her friends and sigh heavily.</p><p> </p><p>"I was distracted and... I forgot," she put both hands over her face, too tired to have that conversation.</p><p> </p><p>"We were worried," Vanielle protested.</p><p> </p><p>"Not to mention that you have a shitty face, Tissaia," Rita sounded really upset and didn't bother to hide it anymore, "you could have called, picked up the phone, or responded to our messages."</p><p> </p><p>Surprised, the chestnut extended a hand to pick up her phone and check that she actually had more than six missed calls from each of them, as well as a total of one hundred unread messages. With a dejected sigh, she put the phone aside and dropped her head on Rita's thigh. Possibly with a little more rest she wouldn't have allowed her barriers, always erected while in the office, to break down in a matter of seconds, but the truth was that right now she didn't care too much if someone saw her being close to another human being, much less if that human being had spectacular legs, adored the use of sarcasm and was always keen on getting into any matter of her life.</p><p> </p><p>"Also, if you don’t mind to tell us what’s that on your neck, we’d appreciate it…"</p><p> </p><p>Rita frowned —while Tissaia kept her head down and her eyes shut— and her eyes widened when she realized the mark on her friend’s throat.</p><p> </p><p>"Yeah, it would be nice from you".</p><p> </p><p>Confused, Tissaia took her phone and used the black screen to try and watch at her own reflection, her eyes widening as much as Rita’s. She couldn’t remember when the hickey had been done, but she was suddenly surprised that there was only one mark on her neck.</p><p> </p><p>"It’s… It was a mosquito…" Tissaia muttered, unable to look at the women, "and about the phone… I didn't realize, time just flew away and... Well, I only slept two hours at much," Tissaia closed her eyes again and hid her face on Rita’s leg.</p><p> </p><p>"Next time, tell your mosquito to be more careful," while saying that, the blonde took off her necker and gently put it around Tissaia’s throat, being very careful while touching her. "And what were you doing, if you can tell? "</p><p> </p><p>"Rita..." Vanielle looked at them with her eyes wide open, as if she had just seen a ghost.</p><p> </p><p>"Don't even think about defending her..." The blonde moved her gaze between the two women, her eyes half shut in a clear accusation.</p><p> </p><p>"No, it's not that... It's… She just said her time flew away. Tissaia said her. Time. Flew. Away".</p><p> </p><p>Not having realized it before, Rita's face was quite a poem now and her expression was exactly the same as it would have been if anyone present in the room had tell her they were pregnant.</p><p> </p><p>"What?" Rita stared again at the thigh-resting head, "who are you and what have you done with my best friend?"</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia opened her eyes only to roll them and then she shut them again. She was exhausted. Happy, but exhausted.</p><p> </p><p>"You two are the worst, only for you to know," Rita's hand moved to her neck, gently caressing her skin with her fingernails so as not to take the necker apart, and she managed to break the last resistance the woman might have, "she was in Sodden, so I told her to wait for me because I didn't want to tell her what I needed to tell her on the phone. She had sneaked into the observatory and well, one thing led to another and we stayed until four in the morning talking and stargazing," the hand on her neck had stopped, because Rita and Vanielle stared at her, in shock, "oh, and we also kissed. A lot of times, actually… Now you can ask Philippa on a date."</p><p> </p><p>The silence between the three women was only evidenced by the whispers that reached them, probably Philippa telling Coral and Triss about their Saturday date. None of them paid any attention to that, for all three knew enough details from that date as to need to find out more. Besides, it's not every day your best friend tells you that she has followed your advice and that, due to that, she has abandoned you and sneaked into a public property, staying there until four in the morning, kissing a girl few years younger and getting hickeys…</p><p> </p><p>"I need to go back to the part where you say you stayed until four o'clock talking to the woman you like at an observatory you've entered illegally," Vanielle murmured.</p><p> </p><p>"I want more details about why you've only slept for two hours and got a hickey..."</p><p> </p><p>"You two just listen to what you want," Tissaia groaned, though a shy smile managed to form on her lips before she opened her eyes, "there too many things in my head and I was overwhelmed, so I forgot my cell phone in the car and I didn't see your messages and calls... And this morning I was too tired and sleepy to realize," in the face of doubt reflected on women's faces, Tissaia rolled her eyes. "Well, and it's impossible for me to think about more than her when I've got her around, that's it, I said it, happy?"</p><p> </p><p>Rita left her cup on the table, amazed. Vanielle, on the other hand, smiled broadly, leaning forward to rest her elbows on the desk and head on her own hands.</p><p> </p><p>"The truth is, yes we are happy, but next time try to text at least. We really care about you, love".</p><p> </p><p>"What she said… And now you tell us absolutely everything that happened, do you hear me? I need to know. Urgently. It’s a death-life situation".</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia did not suppress the little laugh that sprang from her throat. That was going to be a more intense than entertaining conversation, but it was so easy for her to talk about Yennefer that she couldn't even resist doing it. And she wanted, <em>needed</em>, her friends to know everything about it. Like every time she talked about her, she unconsciously omitted her name, and even some of her traits, when Coral, Philippa and Triss decided to join their conversation, surprised and interested equally with the matter.</p><p>Coral had been working with Tissaia and Vanielle long enough to know that there was something wrong with the first one's marriage; Philippa was almost as gossipy as the woman she had started dating, and also quite the observer, so she was not surprised to discover that Tissaia was involved with someone other than Vilgefortz; and Triss... Triss couldn't be happier because Tissaia had found someone to make her smile the way that mysterious woman did, so she could only think how amazing it would be to meet her to thank her in person.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The days were moving forward naturally. Yennefer had told Sabrina what had happened on Sunday night, wandering past Saturday's date, but had asked her not to tell Triss or Jaskier anything, as she preferred to keep them out of everything for the time being. Triss because she knew that if everything was twisted, she would suffer from heartbreak as much as Yennefer herself. And Jaskier… Well, he could become a nuisance if given the opportunity and he was the king of gossip. She knew she wouldn’t be able to trust him with something she wasn't quite sure was going to work out yet.</p><p>Bored of the fight between Sabrina and Geralt about whether the wine was better cold or hot, Yennefer decided that sending a picture of her bored face to Tissaia was the best way to get distracted, as Jaskier had decided to fall asleep with her head on her boyfriend's shoulder and there was no one left willing to give her a decent conversation. Yennefer didn't have to try too hard to look exasperated and about to fall asleep in the photo, but the quick response brought out a smile.</p><p> </p><p>'<em>I didn't think philosophical debates had such catastrophic effects on you.'</em></p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>'You have catastrophic effects on me, a wine fight is almost a death sentence.'</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>'Are you implying I bore you, Piglet?' 'And you better not dare do something sacrilegious to a good wine or you'll have to introduce them to me so I can explain them a couple of things.'</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>'You don't bore me, but you damage my synaptic connections more than a liter of ethyl alcohol.' 'There's Brina and Geralt fighting over whether wine is better to be drunk hot or cold.' 'And you can explain everything you want to me...'</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p><em>'Disgusting'. 'Are you coming to Cintra tonight?' 'White wine is served cold and red slightly cold, except in a few exceptions...' 'I hope you're not taking things out of context in there,' </em>was answered directed to the one about the explanation.</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>'I didn't know you worked tonight, but you'll have me there as soon as you open.' 'Thank you for the information, I'm going to shut them up for a while.' 'I'd also love you to scold me.' 'And to do anything to me in general.' 'I told you I had something with teachers and it would be so fucking hot to having you punishing me…'</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>'¡Yennefer! '</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>‘Fuck, it’s actually suddenly pretty hot in here.’</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>The brunette sent several emojis with a half-smile and a heart, before locking the mobile and looking at her friends, exasperated because they were still with the same subject. Repeating what Tissaia had said, they both stared at her with their eyebrows raised in surprise and Yennefer merely said she had googled it and that they were idiots for discussing nonsense like that. Just then, Jaskier decided to wake up from his nap and stretch, while Triss entered through the front door. As it was Friday, the meeting in the apartment was almost mandatory for everyone and, at that point, the chestnut already had her own keys to the place.</p><p> </p><p>"Triss, my dear divine savior, thank you for coming to rescue me from this hell," Jaskier rose with a dramatic leap, as if he had been present throughout the conversation, "how was the witch today?"</p><p> </p><p>"Don't call her that," to everyone's but Triss’ surprise, it was Sabrina who spoke, earning several confusing glances from her friends, "don't look at me like that, if you took the trouble to talk to her for a while, you wouldn't talk about her like that."</p><p> </p><p>"Sweet hell, love is wreaking havoc on you, Glevissig," Yennefer winked at the blonde.</p><p> </p><p>"At least we already know that Yenna isn't the only one who has a problem with older women... "</p><p> </p><p>Jaskier couldn't avoid Sabrina's punch, Triss's annoying look or the flying cushion Yennefer threw at him and Geralt was unwilling to do to anything to help him this time; his boyfriend was unique to make the three most dangerous people in the city angry. The brunette, however, was curious about what her friend had said about Tissaia, for until now she had not felt special affection for her girlfriend's boss. What gossip wasn't they telling her?</p><p>Unfortunately, she didn't have time to ask about it, as the conversation progressed to a different subject and Yennefer had to work hard to pay attention, while mentally reviewing the contents of her closet, thinking about what she was going to wear that night. Every time she had a date with Sky, her room ended up being a disaster, clothes scattered everywhere and it took almost two weeks to be returned to its original state.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>"Yenna?" Sabrina stopped in front of her friend, sitting on one of the bar's free stools, surprised to see her in Cintra, "what are you doing here?"</p><p> </p><p>"Oh. Right. Yes. Sure. I just came for a walk," despite her innocent smile, it was obvious that the blonde didn't believe her.</p><p> </p><p>"Are you meeting Sky?"</p><p> </p><p>"Yup," the excitement in Yennefer’s face was impossible to hide.</p><p> </p><p>"Do you want to have something while you wait for her?" Sabrina took one of the wet glasses and began to dry it with care and agility.</p><p> </p><p>"No, thank you, I'm fine for now," if she ignored her nerves and didn't think about the myriad of scenarios that could end up ruining her night.</p><p> </p><p>"Well, in that case I'll be watching, I can't wait to see that mysterious and beautiful woman you can’t shut the fuck up about," the blonde winked at her when she heard a ‘<em>bitch’</em> in response, but she couldn't lengthen the conversation anymore, having to attend to other clients while she was alone at the bar.</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer would have turned her eyes blank, but a cold hand perching on her lower back caused her to tighten. The hand was not big, but the fingers were long and firm. The brunette noticed how a body stuck to hers, blushing when fully aware of the way two breasts pressed on her back. On her right appeared a tray that was resting on the bar with some empty glasses over it, the woman's voice too close to her ear to be a coincidence. The woman's lips grazed Yennefer's ear when she spoke, getting the breath trapped in her lungs for a few seconds.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm sorry..." But the tone of voice was much more provocative than regretted, something Yennefer could see when she looked at Tissaia by the corner of her eye, getting lost in that sneering smile, "I hope I didn't bother you".</p><p> </p><p>"A little yes..." Yennefer slightly raised her lower lip in a pout. She knew she shouldn't risk exposing the woman in such a public place, but it wasn't she who started that. Of course, neither of them was aware of Calanthe's curious and mocking gaze, for she was sitting at the end of the bar, "but they wouldn’t be the first panties you ruin me".</p><p> </p><p>"In that case, let me make something to you..." Tissaia let her hand fall slightly until she ended up in Yennefer's ass, before turning away and disappearing into the crowd.</p><p> </p><p>The young woman was sure that by then it was obvious that she had died and that she was definitely in some kind of paradise, where she had the full attention of the goddess in charge. A small discomfort in her chest reminded her that, just in case, it would be best if he breathed again, so he took a short breath of air. Not even an entire yoga session would have prepared Yennefer for how incredibly hypnotic and erotic it was to see Tissaia prepare any kind of drink —for it was obvious that what she had meant when she said that she’d make something to her—, due to the precision of every move in her hands. Although the process lasted barely a minute, Yennefer was sure that it had taken her an eternity and not even a blink.</p><p>Tissaia left the glass at the bar, leaning forward with a little smile. Yennefer raised a hand to take the drink, realizing that the chestnut had not released it yet. The contact allowed her to let her phalanxes gently caress the older woman’s fingers, before she leaned back. For the first time, Yennefer had the feeling that not everyone ignored them, but she was unable to risk looking around, even when Tissaia withdrew from where she was to serve other customers and disguise the constant need to focus solely on her.</p><p>Their exchange had lasted a total of five minutes, but Yennefer was aware of the incredible ease with which Sky could provoke some kind of reaction in her anatomy. When she had studied the functioning of hormones, Yennefer had laughed at the possibility that many would be turned on simply at the image of a person full clothed and not doing anything, or with stupid gestures. Right now, it felt like it was the universe laughing at her. But worst of all, she was enjoying it. It seemed she liked to suffer, she liked pain.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>While Sabrina had once again focused almost all her attention in her work and in serving the clients, she could not help wondering why Tissaia and Eist took so long to serve the customers of the tables. Calanthe was on her break, so she couldn't ask her for help, but the orders would start to exceed her soon, now that the place was up to the top. While scanning the room for her bosses, Sabrina's eyes rested again in Yennefer. But she wasn't alone, Tissaia was glued to her, whispering something in her ear and... Was her friend blushing? Wait, what was that mocking smile in Tissaia? What about Yennefer's wounded puppy face? What the hell...?</p><p>One customer asked for another drink and Sabrina had to return her focus to preparing drinks for a few more seconds, before Calanthe was the next one to order, although she was refrained to a coke. The blonde then took the opportunity to direct a second look at her best friend, then repairing the way her hand and Tissaia's were touching on a glass with a drink she did not know and which was probably another of the teacher's creations —more than half the menu was, as she had recently discovered it. Sabrina frowned, without understanding anything, and then opened her lips, realizing that they were clearly flirting…</p><p> </p><p>"I don't recommend you to go close to those two right now," Calanthe advised, while taking the coke offered by the waitress, "when they get in that intense mode it's very uncomfortable to be near".</p><p> </p><p>"What?" Sabrina stopped looking at them to lay her eyes on Calanthe, completely lost. What did her boss mean?</p><p> </p><p>The only thing that was clear was that Yennefer had the same look as most of the time she looked at her phone and smiled just like she did when she talked about Sky... Sky... Skylark.  Reality struck Sabrina like a bucket of cold water falling on her head. Sky wasn't her name, just a loving nickname Calanthe sometimes used with her sister and that apparently transcended to the name of a drink. But Tissaia was married... Wait. Did Triss know about that? Would Tissaia have told her about it? Why didn't she tell her anything? What if she didn't know? Should she tell her then? What was she supposed to do?</p><p> </p><p>"Sabrina, I can hear you thinking from here," the woman rolled her eyes, though she didn't scold her to go back to work, because Tissaia was surprisingly quick and good at serving all the customers, "are you going to tell me?"</p><p> </p><p>"It is that... I'm not sure..." With a head gesture, Sabrina referred to the two women they had been talking about, before letting her eyes wander to Yennefer, who was looking at Tissaia from time to time.</p><p> </p><p>"Don't go on," Calanthe sighed, "whatever it is, I don't think it's a good idea for us to get involved. I know you're worried about your friend, I'm worried about my sister... But whatever they’re brewing, we'd better let them find out for themselves," she drank a sip of the coke.</p><p> </p><p>"But..."</p><p> </p><p>"I know my sister and I know she wouldn't take any chances for anyone if she wasn't important to her," she smiled affectionately, pretending Vilgefrotz didn’t exist, "you better than anyone know how high her standards are for absolutely everything. I promise you that if I notice something out of place, I’ll warn you, but I think what they need right now is time and space, we can only watch them run," what Calanthe wasn't saying, from her position, was that she'd never seen that look in Tissaia before, even during the years she'd been dating Margarita. She suspected she was missing something, but she couldn’t point out what it was. Anyway, it wasn't as if someone apart from her, Vanielle or Rita could cross beyond the woman's outer barriers, was it? "Especially since it's horrible to be close to that horrible unresolved sexual tension they have".</p><p> </p><p>Sabrina merely nodded, confused, before looking back at the bar as she prepared a cocktail. Yennefer was no longer there and Tissaia was chatting with a client while preparing the cocktail, which only made the blonde suspect that her friend's presence was the only thing that had provoked that. Tissaia didn't used to talk to customers any more than necessary, often she just smiled shyly at them and listened to whatever they had to say, so that night she seemed striving to disguise that the time and effort she had devoted to Yennefer were something out of the ordinary.</p><p>Everything was too confusing and strange at the time, too much information in too little time to process it. With a sigh, the blonde served the cocktail and took another request, while listening to what a man told her about his business, not at all interested in that, but making the effort.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>With curiosity and impatience, Yennefer swayed over her heels, not knowing very well what to do or where to put herself. The young woman had needed a gesture from Tissaia, taking a hand into her own back pocket —it should be noted that she was wearing black jeans that fit her curves beautifully and enhanced that particular part of her body— to recall the brief moment when Tissaia's own hand had ended up in her ass. With a frown, Yennefer had taken a hand to the specific area on it, opening her eyes with surprise when she realized that, right there, she herself had a pocket. Curiously, Yennefer put her hand in his pocket and pulled out of it a note scribbled with a pen, probably on one of the pages of the small notebook like the one she, more than once, had seen Sabrina write down orders.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>'Cal's office, 10 minutes</em>
</p><p>
  <em>T. ღ’</em>
</p><p> </p><p>The chestnut calligraphy was beautiful, every stroke long and elegant. Yennefer was not quite clear about what that 'T' of the end meant, but the heart next to it only managed to melt a little more the heart that beat heavily on her chest. Every little gesture was worth more than any attempt at flirtation that no one had ever directed toward the brunette in her entire life. Tissaia's caress had nothing to be compared to, either in that world or in any world, but that she bothered to draw a heart on such a simple note… Yennefer made sure to keep the paper in her wallet so as not to lose it, ready to hang it from the cork in her room.</p><p>By the time the door opened, Yennefer was sitting on what could only be Tissaia's desk —located perpendicular to Calanthe's, but too tidy compared to the other two desks to be of the brunette or Eist—, she was ignoring the huge amount of things about it, except for a photo showing a much younger version of Tissaia with a woman considerably like Calanthe and the younger Cintra owner herself, looking amazing. She had spent some time analyzing the photo, assuming that woman she did not recognize was Adalia, the mother of both women. However, Yennefer's arms were now pushed back, the palms of her hands resting on the wood of the desk.</p><p>When Tissaia closed the door behind her, she stopped to look at nothing but the figure of the woman in front of her. She approached Yennefer with a treacherous smile on her lips, ignoring the way the brunette opened her legs to invite her to place herself between them, or the way she obliged. Tissaia left her hands on the young woman's thighs and leaned forward to look for her lips; while her intention had been to kiss her tenderly, at the very moment her mouths joined the contact was almost desperate and hungry, causing both women to try and find a way to get more. Tongues and teeth soon joined their lips, until it was Tissaia who leaned back with her labored breathing caressing the younger woman’s lips. Her fingers had ended up nailing a little more than intended on Yennefer's thighs, but instead of complaining, the brunette had merely opened her legs even more, inviting her to do anything she wanted.</p><p> </p><p>"Did you miss me that much?" Tissaia bit Yennefer's lower lip, smiling when she supported her forehead over hers.</p><p> </p><p>"Yes," her honesty, as always, was surprisingly overwhelming, "more than a day without being able to see or touch you is very hard to bear… Besides, you have no idea of how on you manage to turn me".</p><p> </p><p>"We went for coffee yesterday, Yen," she said, though she felt the same way.</p><p> </p><p>"Hm, yes, twenty-nine hours ago, more than twenty-four, more than a day," Yennefer threw her head back to look her in the eye with a little smug smile.</p><p> </p><p>"You're insufferable... But I suppose then I will also have to compensate you for that too," with a dramatic sigh, Tissaia began to caress the woman's thighs, distractedly, "though I doubt my desk is exactly comfortable for what I have in mind".</p><p> </p><p>"Hm..." Yennefer wrapped her arms around the woman's neck and smiled, "I've always wanted to get a teacher at her desk".</p><p> </p><p>"Technically this is not my teacher desk," Tissaia rolled her eyes and left a kiss on Yennefer's jaw, "but it may be able to serve us the same," the next kiss was left it on Yennefer’s neck, using her teeth to bite carefully and then her tongue to soothe the skin, tearing a moan off with it. She had been circling <em>that </em>matter all week and had not been able to find any reason why she should not have sex with Yennefer. If Vilgefortz found out they had a date, the consequences were going to be disastrous, so giving in to their own desires wouldn't make a difference on what was coming then. Besides, she really liked that idiot, no longer trying to deny it. "But only if you want," Tissaia threw her head back, biting her inside of her cheek to disguise her satisfaction when she saw a mark beginning to form in the younger woman's throat. She owed it since last week and, to be honest, she had always had a bad habit of doing that with the few girlfriends she had had before Vilgefortz, but apparently bad habits never died.</p><p> </p><p>"Are you kidding me?" Yennefer moved her hands to grab Tissaia from both sides of the stripped shirt she was wearing, moving her close enough to kiss her, as if her life depended on it. When she managed to pull apart to catch her breath, her voice was hoarse and it showed excitement at the very idea, "please take me in your desk and fuck me until you ruin my vocal cords".</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia did not need anything else to make her hands ascend from Yennefer's thighs to her waist, then looking for the hem to unbutton the pants with a skill that fascinated the brunette. Unable to sit still, Yennefer changed her position and buried her face in the curve of Tissaia's neck, suddenly aware of what was going to happen. While her brain had been switched off from the moment she had seen Tissaia come in with those incredible stilettos, perfect jeans and a wide shirt that, again, left everything to the imagination, even with the first button open, Yennefer had relied on having some of her usual wit or brazenness to stand impassive in any situation.</p><p>The problem had begun as soon as Tissaia's hands had touched her thighs, for memories of the last time the woman had her fingers in that area of her body came to her head and made everything but to return some consciousness to her mind. She almost felt resented by remembering how much she had needed Tissaia to simply decide to raise her hands a little more and touch her... How frustrating it had been to have her so close and so far at once, to know she wouldn't go on. The mere memory caused that, in an act of impulsivity, this time it was Yennefer who sucked the pale and sensitive skin from Tissaia's neck, albeit in an area much easier to hide than last time, though this time she didn’t stop until she heard her moan, pressing her tongue flat against the red skin then. Her hands had ended up sneaking under the chestnut shirt, allowing her fingers to slide over her abdomen, delighting in the way each muscle contracted according to the pressure she exerted, whether she used only her fingers, palms or nails... The small changes in Tissaia's breathing were wrecking her underwear. Yennefer was aware of the effect her body had on other people, but with Tissaia everything was different. That goddess was much more complex than any human being, so the possibility of destabilizing her that way with only a couple of caresses... Gods, there was nothing to turn her on more than that.</p><p> </p><p>"Shit, Yen..." The warning of that gasp was obvious, but they both knew she couldn't help it, " be careful or you're going to have to take care of this yourself," accompanying her words, Tissaia's hand found her way inside Yennefer's pants, but she only left her hand resting on her sex above the fabric of her underwear.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm sorry," she rose to whisper a few seconds later. Her hips had reacted to the previous contact instinctively, betraying the need the brunette felt, she really wasn't in a position to let her pride come out, "will you make it up for me if I behave?"</p><p> </p><p>"Perhaps," Tissaia muttered in her ear, applying some pressure and trying to disguise the way her own body temperature only increased when she realized, even through the fabric, how wet Yennefer already was, "or maybe I’ll just punish you if you don't. But something tells me you'd enjoy it if I did that" the chestnut came up to Yennefer's ear to whisper that and then gently bit Yennefer's lobe, her fingers starting to caress Yennefer core over her underwear.</p><p> </p><p>"I don't think I can get out of this office alive right now without you touching me," it was an obvious confession, but Yennefer could feel more than seeing the older mocking smile, "you make me wetter than anyone else has before, all the time. I really need you to touch me".</p><p> </p><p>"I'm touching you..." Tissaia pulled her hand out of her pants and started stroking the young woman's abdomen. She knew they didn't have time to lose with those things, but Yennefer was just too easy to frustrate.</p><p> </p><p>"But not as I need you to," the complain, much to the brunette's misfortune, sounded as desperate as she was feeling.</p><p> </p><p>"And how do you need me to touch you, then?" Tissaia leaned back, to look at her. Yennefer's hands had stopped just before reaching her breasts and her nails were starting to dig in Tissaia’s skin, but her presence against her chest was altering her enough to know she would not resist if she asked for it once more.</p><p> </p><p>However, Yennefer did not answer her question, unable to wait another second. With her violet eyes fixed on the blue orbs —if there was any color left in the thin circle surrounding the dilated pupils of both women— the woman took the hand that had previously been inside her pants and guided it back into her pants, making sure that this time she was also inside her underwear. Tissaia emitted a groan when directly feeling the moisture of the younger one soaking her fingers, but she did not have enough time to revel in the warmth of the outer lips, as Yennefer did not stop there. If the blue eyes had been more open than normal before, as a result of the surprise that such an initiative had provoked her, Tissaia was sure that her brain went out and her heart stopped at the time when she noticed two of her fingers slipping into Yennefer's insides with astonishing ease , ripping a groan at each of the women. The brunette kept looking her in the eye, her face reflecting every last detail of what she felt, her free hand reaching Tissaia’s breast and squeezing it, and a smug smile being enough proof that she was willing to do whatever it took to get what she wanted.</p><p> </p><p>"I need you inside me," Yennefer whispered, as she approached to look for the other woman's lips, "fucking me hard enough to ruin my vocal cords as you told me you would".</p><p> </p><p>"I don’t recall it that way… But in any case, you should ask me properly, Piglet," Tissaia did not let her kiss her, turning her head just in time not to fall into temptation and earning a frustrated growl from the brunette. Her fingers had stood still inside Yennefer, so she could revel in the heat around them, the wetness dripping between them and the way the young woman's muscles contracted in fruitless attempts to push them deeper.  Yennefer tried to create more friction by moving her hips, but seeing that the chestnut tried to withdrew her hand, she decided to stop, horrified with the idea.</p><p> </p><p>"Please?"</p><p> </p><p>"Please what, dear?"</p><p> </p><p>"Please, professor, fuck me," The brunette's chest went up and down heavily and her breath, with a fruity alcoholic aroma, like the drink she had taken, caressed the other woman's lips in an irresistibly tempting way.</p><p> </p><p>"Good girl," was the only thing Tissaia said, before searching for the younger girl's mouth urgently, starting to move her fingers inside Yennefer.</p><p> </p><p>To Tissaia's surprise, Yennefer barely lasted a couple of minutes. As long as she had expected the moment to be brief and despite the evidence she had —with the moisture between the brunette legs— she had not expected the young woman to have been so turned on and close with only the foreplay as to reach her orgasm that hard in such a short time. Somehow, Yennefer had managed to silence any sound too audible against Tissaia's mouth and neck, which had caused them both to have considerably swollen lips, the remains of lipstick only making their color more noticeable and intense. Yennefer's head now rested against Tissaia's chest, as her own went up and down at such a high rate that the younger one began to worry about whether that relationship would end up causing her some heart disease, given Tissaia’s considerable easiness at accelerating and stopping her heart.</p><p> </p><p>"I should come back before Cal comes looking for me," the chestnut whispered and Yennefer retrieved her hand, finally letting go one of Tissaia’s breasts that she was still grasping.</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer growled, unable to articulate anything like a word and wrapped the other woman's body with both arms, taking her as close against her as possible, and moving her head to her shoulder. Her eyes were closed and her nose grazed Tissaia's neck several times before she found a comfortable enough position to stay in.  As childish as that reaction might seem, Tissaia found it most adorable, so he treated her, settling her posture so that the younger one would not damage her back, while her hands continued to draw patterns on her skin —thanks to the backless top Yennefer was wearing—, or caress some locks of hair.</p><p> </p><p>"The other day there was something I couldn't tell you and... I know this is not the time, but I have no idea when it might be a good moment to say it," Tissaia had bowed her head to support it against Yennefer's. To their disgrace, Calanthe had something like a radar to interrupt intimate moments between the two, but this time she did so as quietly as the previous one, so she went unnoticed. Yennefer had her eyes closed and her face hidden, Tissaia was with her back to the door, too busy with her thoughts and overwhelmed with Yennefer's presence and contact.</p><p> </p><p>"You can tell me anything," Yennefer said, "at any time, always".</p><p> </p><p>"I know," Tissaia turned her head a little more to leave a kiss on the young woman's nose and smiled broadly. Even from her perspective, Calanthe could see how her little sister radiated happiness, "and that's why I like you so much".</p><p> </p><p>"That and because of my wonderful jokes," Yennefer laughed, and lowered one of her hands to Tissaia's ass. Calanthe knew it would be best if she stopped them there, "and I thought you were just trying to seduce me by my incredible sense of humor".</p><p> </p><p>"You're the one who's been trying to seduce me since we met!" Tissaia's voice became sharper when Yennefer's hand went on to hold her ass completely brazenly. However, far from complaining, she merely rolled her eyes and kissed her. Calanthe could only wonder who that woman was and what she had done with her sister.</p><p> </p><p>"Your mere existence would make even a stone to fall in love with you!"</p><p> </p><p>"Well. Enough, I've heard enough," unable to keep listening to that kind of cheesy words or watching Yennefer's hands make clear her intentions towards her sister, Calanthe crossed her arms and leaned against the door, trying to look as severe as possible.</p><p> </p><p>Almost as if a bomb had fallen, the two women had stood still and silent. Even Calanthe hesitated to keep breathing, but something remind her that she wasn’t the one to have to worry about being caught… And it looked like she didn’t have to worry at all about her sister’s wellbeing since she heard the way Tissaia's breathing was changing to become a laugh she tried to drown anyway. Tissaia almost never laughed, not sincerely, but at that time Calanthe knew that the reason that led her to do so were accumulated nerves and tension, mixed with pure happiness; however, the way Yennefer's expression went from reflecting horror and concern to sweetening and show her feelings for Tissaia, took Cintra's owner by surprise.</p><p>She had always known that Yennefer was the kind of sincere person who did not hesitate to express how she felt, but to see the way she looked at her sister, as if the whole universe was concentrated in one point and it was right now in her arms. That image forced her to look away and blink a couple of times, her own heart trying to ignore some mixed feelings. For many years she had spent meeting either woman in front of her, she had never seen them like this and that only managed to make her feel angry and happy in equal parts. They both deserved that.</p><p>Tissaia kept giving her back to Calanthe and her face hidden against Yennefer's shoulder until the laughter stopped and she managed to gather enough strength to confront her sister. She turned on herself, but stood pressed to Yennefer, her hands on her thighs, as if trying to act as a barrier between her and Calanthe, for what could happen. The brunette was aware that Tissaia was married and that no one better than her sister should know that, so what if she'd got her in trouble for not going out when she told her? Feeling the need to protect the shorter woman in some way, Yennefer’s arms rounded the woman's torso, her legs holding firm on both sides of her body. Her posture made clear her protective intention and her brows had frowned, reflecting her concern.</p><p>Calanthe needed to take a deep breath a couple of times, noticing how a large weight disappeared from her chest. If only they had met before, maybe now Tissaia would have been happy for a long time, away from her husband's. She was not a particularly sentimental woman and hated crying, but the sight of sister so radiant and someone beyond her being willing to protect her from everything…</p><p> </p><p>"You’ll have to be alone at the bar for a while, it's time to Sabrina's break and I have to talk to my sister-in-law for a moment".</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia stared at Calanthe for a few seconds and then followed her gaze to Yennefer, slightly concerned at the idea of leaving them alone. Without hesitating a single second, she turned her head to kiss the brunette on the lips and smiled tenderly. To Yennefer's surprise, Tissaia had not corrected what Calanthe had said.</p><p> </p><p>"Let me know when you get home," she kissed her again a second time.</p><p> </p><p>"All right, but you do it too," Yennefer smiled and dropped her arms on her sides, "please, even if I’m sleeping".</p><p> </p><p>"If you ask me like this..." With an almost wicked smile, those words said more than any of those present deemed appropriate in that situation, Tissaia came to the door, stopping only a moment to whisper to Calanthe, "don't even think about scaring her away or saying weird things to her".</p><p> </p><p>"I don't know who you're taking me for, little skylark," said the lioness of Cintra herself in a whisper and then she waited for Tissaia to leave the office, before looking at Yennefer. It took her a couple of extra seconds to find the strength and serenity to do that, deliberately ignoring the fact that the young woman had her pants unbuttoned; she definitely didn't want to know anything about that until she regained enough poise to be able to tease the two women about it. "Remember what I told you on the first day, when I caught you looking at her?"</p><p> </p><p>"That I would end up disappointed if I tried?" Yennefer tilted her head and then smiled broadly and proudly. "I'm sorry to tell you, but you were wrong".</p><p> </p><p>"I won't comment on it, I'm still surprised that she hasn't even bothered to deny or disguise it," the older woman sighed.</p><p> </p><p>"Well, apparently you've heard <em>enough</em>, I suppose she's assumed it wouldn't do any good to try," the young woman swayed her legs, restlessly and nervous.</p><p> </p><p>"I've seen her drink a cup of salted tea because she mistook salt for sugar, and she refused to acknowledge her mistake. That woman is able to argue up to heliocentric theory if it is necessary," Calanthe shook her head, "if she hasn't corrected what I said, it's because she really has feelings for you and intends to give me the reason about it. Although she's probably having a hard time telling you, she's very clumsy about emotions in general, so sometimes it’s hard for her".</p><p> </p><p>"Oh..." Yennefer looked down, aware of the color of her cheeks and the way her heart had squealed stupidly at the idea that Calanthe was serious and Tissaia felt something for her. Could a goddess like chestnut really look at someone like her? "I wouldn’t want to push her more than I have…"</p><p> </p><p>Calanthe was grateful to hear that, but she continued, "still and back to that day… I meant the part where I told you I'd break your face or hide your corpse, if you broke her heart," brown eyes had become severe again, her voice serious, firm and threatening. She really meant her words, "I don't like violence nor threatening people, but Tissaia is one of the most important people in my life. I’ve taken care of her since she was a newborn and I will do it until the day I die. I would do absolutely anything for her without blinking, so I ask you to treat her carefully, love her as she deserves and not hurt her... Because if you dare hurt her, I swear your body won't have enough nerve-endings to deal with the pain I intend to make you feel," with every word, Calanthe had seemed to grow an inch taller and was now an incredibly imposing and terrifying figure.</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer merely nodded and swallowed the knot in her throat. Cintra's owner had not raised her voice or done anything at all, but the young woman was fully aware that she planned to stay true to her word, so she only thought it fair to do the same and confess what she thought.</p><p> </p><p>"I..." She took a deep breath, got off the desk and, without looking up, eyes glued to the ground, she started rambling, as she walked back and forth in the room, "I know it's stupid, but I feel like one of those assholes in the romantic movies, the bad ones... I find it hard to think when I have her around, I can't look anywhere other than her body, her face, her beautiful eyes. When I'm not with her, that's all I can think about. She’s the last thing I want to see when I fall asleep and the first when I wake up... She's the prettiest, smartest woman I've ever met, everything she does, she does it’s wonderful, she does it well and with amazing skill. I could spend days just watching her and I couldn't get tired of looking at every last detail about her. Besides, her smile? Her laughter? I haven't seen or heard anything as beautiful and breathtaking as that. A whole fucking museum full of art works would pale in comparison with her face. The simple idea of you thinking that I, or anyone, could even think of hurting such a perfect little being, so..." Yennefer snorted when she found herself unable to find the right words, looking at the ground and never at Calanthe, "ugh…. It’s too hard to describe the meaning of beauty and perfection, she’s like the sunset and the stars at the same time… What I mean is that it's impossible for anyone to want to hurt her because... Because... Shit, I need a dictionary just to look for enough words to describe her. You have no idea how wonderful and good and fun and perfect she is".</p><p> </p><p>"All right, I think we got it, Yen," Calanthe was trying to hold her laughter, biting the inside of her cheek. Standing, at the door and with only half her body inside the office, Tissaia stared at Yennefer, her eyes wide open and full of tears, her face completely red and her jaw almost dropped to the floor, "though I do have an idea of how perfect she is".</p><p> </p><p>"I... Shit... Fuck," taking both hands to her mouth in an attempt to shut it up, the young woman backed down a couple of steps, thinking she had made the worst mistake of her life.</p><p> </p><p>Saying absolutely nothing, Tissaia finished entering the office, leaving the door ajar behind her and practically ran to Yennefer —as much as her short legs allowed her, at least— not hesitating to grab her by the front of her top so she could bend her down and kiss her lips with incredible urgency. If any of the previous kisses had been intense, this one could easily humiliate them all. Yennefer's arms ended up surrounding the waist of the shorter woman, making sure to keep her stuck against her body, only to confirm that she was not going anywhere. The fear she had felt that Tissaia would flee when she heard all she said —something she had not dared to say out loud before and that she even had a hard time thinking just in case someone could hear it— had been replaced by a warm sense of security and something else she was unable to describe.</p><p>Instead of running away, Tissaia had kissed her, so something good should had she done if she'd earned something like that. When the chestnut finally threw her head back, a couple of tears had made its way from her eyes to her jaw, so Yennefer raised both hands carefully to clean them with her thumbs and cupping her cheeks, while resting her forehead on Tissaia’s.</p><p> </p><p>"I don't know how much you've heard, but..."</p><p> </p><p>"Enough to say your life is not a romantic comedy, love" she tried to joke, biting her lower lip to contain the sob that threatened to break through her lips and betray her.</p><p> </p><p>"Shit, I'm an idiot, I'm sorry," still stroking Tissaia's cheeks with extreme softness, Yennefer closed her eyes.</p><p> </p><p>"But you're my idiot, Piglet," Tissaia took air through her nose and then smiled, "so don’t you dare to apologize for saying that nonsenses… Anyway, do you have plans tomorrow?"</p><p> </p><p>"Only in the afternoon," acknowledging that was a considerable effort, as she was willing to cancel her working session with Rita if necessary.</p><p> </p><p>"Do you remember the picnic you proposed to me last week? Twelve o'clock in Sodden?" Tissaia waited for Yennefer to nod, before kissing her again and turning her back on her again, to get out of there, the reason why she had returned clearly forgotten.</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer went silent, looking at the door and ignoring the gigles of Calanthe, who no longer bothered to disguise how much she was enjoying that situation. A few minutes passed before the older woman calmed down and regained some seriousness.</p><p> </p><p>"I trust you to take care of her and protect her, I hate the fucking shitty idiot she’s legally married to, so I'm glad to have a decent sister-in-law again".</p><p> </p><p>"Is that why you took it so well? "</p><p> </p><p>"What?"</p><p> </p><p>"That she and I... That we… We're... Like this..."</p><p> </p><p>"Like this? You mean ‘<em>together’</em> or ‘<em>in love’</em>? Well, one way or another, yes, for the family it's like <em>it</em> doesn't exist, don't worry, you'll get used to it, mama will love you".</p><p> </p><p>"That's not normal..." Muttered the girl, choosing to ignore how Calanthe referred to Vilgefortz as <em>it</em> and not <em>him</em>.</p><p> </p><p>"I guess, but the truth is, I'm happier if I forget he's still alive and around. And I know my sister's too," Calanthe shrugged and walked up to the door. "If I were you, I'd fasten my pants before I go out".</p><p> </p><p>And, having said that, smug smile on her lips, Calanthe left the office, leaving behind a very blushing Yennefer.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I am so very sorry for that awful piece of smut, really. I suck writting it and I find it very difficult, so I hope the rest of the chapter was acceptable enough to make it up.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Blood (I)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So. I don't know what to say because I, again, got to 10k and this time I don't think you'll like what happens.</p><p>This is the top of the iceberg and from now on, you'll be getting a lot of information an answers. I've tried to mix the angst with eventual "fun", but it's still angsty and, well, it's not even the worst that will happen.</p><p>Trigger Warnings: attempt of murder, blood mentions, medical procedures, implied physical abuse, more blood, (idk if Yen being very lovesick  is a TW, but just in case), mentions to suicide, mentions to anxiety, mentions to murder.</p><p>I think that's all and I hope I haven't spoil or ruined the plot, but those TW will be repeating some more times, sorry.</p><p>Also, the italics of the beggining are from a flashback.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
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  <em>"Tissaia De Vries?" A man with tanned skin and black hair, quite young but in the white regulatory robe of Thanedd Hospital looked around in the waiting room, until a young woman of short stature stood up and approached him.</em>
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  <em>"It's me," the chestnut raised her head, nailing her blue eyes to that doctor's brown orbs.</em>
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  <em>"In that case, I think I should thank you and congratulate you, Miss De Vries," the young man stretched his right hand in her direction and smiled, "had it not been for you, the patient would not have come to the hospital alive. She probably wouldn't even have held out until the ambulance arrived".</em>
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  <em>Tissaia ended up accepting the brunette's hand and curved her lips in a very small smile. As much as she had washed her hands, they still had traces of blood, as did much of her clothes; Adalia and Calanthe had to stay dealing with the authorities and the nurses had only let her in the ambulance, so she hadn't been able to ask anyone to bring her spare clothes.</em>
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  <em>"Is she going to be all right?" After shaking the young man's hand, Tissaia brought hers into her pocket, uncomfortable with touching people she didn’t know, "may I see her?"</em>
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  <em>"Yes, she will only need rest and follow the directions. Come with me," turning around, the doctor's guided her down the aisle, "have you considered studying medicine?"</em>
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  <em>The chestnut nodded, but she'd known Nenneke since she had memory use, so she knew that woman wouldn't listen to anyone.</em>
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</p><p><em>"The truth is, no... I'm studying physical engineering,</em> <em>sophomore year," the girl looked down with some shyness when the young man turned her head to look at her with surprise, his eyes not leaving her body.</em></p><p>
  
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  <em>"You don't look like a sophomore," he confessed, "by the way, I haven't introduced myself, I'm Vilgefortz, Vilgefortz Roggeveen, at your service," stopping near the two bodyguards guarding the duchess's room door, he had the audacity to hold Tissaia's hand to leave a kiss on it, as he leaned forward, in the perfect imitation of a gentleman. The bodyguards moved slightly, ready to reduce him, "although you should consider what I said".</em>
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  <em>"I'm seventeen... I was advanced by two courses," trying to disguise the tension of her body in the face of Vilgefortz's daring, Tissaia shrugged her shoulders and tried to deflect the conversation. "The truth is that medicine seems interesting... Although, if I end up studying that, you can't blame me for being the competition".</em>
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  <em>"I see you are very confident for not having any idea," he sketched a mocking smile.</em>
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  <em>"I have not said that I have no idea, only that I study physics," Tissaia approached the bodyguards who came to let her in, after bowing her head as a greeting. However, when Vilgefortz tried to follow her into the room, they both took a step inwards, closing the pace.</em>
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  <em>"I'm the Duchess's doctor, I need to get in".</em>
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  <em>"Dr. Stregobor left the room a few minutes ago and has not recorded that someone else was in charge of Lady Nenneke," the guard's voice was calm and neutral, as if he was used to dealing with such situations. "No one is allowed into that room unless something serious happens".</em>
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  <em>Tissaia could not hear the rest of the conversation, despite being leaning against the door. His eyes had fixed on Nenneke's pale body. The woman in her forties had never seemed as weak and lifeless as she was at the time, lying on the bed and wearing an oxygen mask helping her breathe. She wore a blue nightgown and was covered with the blankets on the bed, but Tissaia could perfectly locate her wound, a piercing on the side caused by a razor, about fifteen centimeters long, just below the last rib. Tissaia had perfectly seen the aggressor approach the woman from behind, stab her and then run away, so she had acted quickly and instinctively. She did not remember exactly anything that had happened, for her body and mind had begun to work on her own, while she could only look at her own actions and ask the woman not to die.</em>
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  <em>"I'm not going to bite you if you get close, child," Nenneke's voice was weak, but that didn't stop her from raising a shaky hand to take off the mask, "come and sit with me".</em>
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  <em>Tissaia obeyed, as she always did, and tried to keep her poise. Her jaw was beginning to hurt by the force with which he squeezed it and tears now fell incessantly from her eyes, without her being able or wanting to stop them. It was a natural reaction her body needed to release all the stress she had been under for the last six hours and she knew it, so that moment of weakness was allowed only for that reason. After all, it was Nenneke, who loved her as much as her mother and had always been there; she knew she wouldn't judge her for crying in a situation as complicated as that. Tissaia took a seat on the edge of the bed, holding all her weight with her legs so as not to disturb the older woman.</em>
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  <em>"Where on earth doing that is called to sit down?" Despite her condition, the woman managed to raise an eyebrow and draw a half-smile. Tissaia rolled her eyes and sat properly, still being careful. Nenneke's voice became warmer and softer with the following question, "where is Adalia?" The teenager shrugged her shoulders, for the only thing that had allowed her to speak before was the facade she had abandoned when she walked through that door, "are you all right?" Given the worried tone of the eldest, Tissaia nodded, though her lower lip began to tremble, "oh, come here, my little girl," this time, Nenneke's voice was just a whisper, but the way she opened her arms was an obvious invitation for the chestnut to hug her and lie down with her. At any other time, Tissaia would have rejected the invitation, aware of the incredible amount of protocols and manners being skipped, but right then, there was nothing that she needed more than a hug.</em>
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  <em>The Duchess surrounded Tissaia's small body with her arms and began to caress her hair, leaving her for a few minutes to let go of everything inside her and calm down. Nenneke knew that as serious and composed as she always seemed, the teenager was one of the most delicate and sentimental people she had ever met, so the least she could do for her was to try to support her; besides, that young woman had saved her life, surely there was nothing more ironic than that.</em>
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  <em>"I was so afraid..." The delicacy and fragility that tinged that whisper broke something inside Nenneke.</em>
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</p><p><em>"It is normal to be scared, little skylark," the Duchess pressed her lips against the forehead of the girl, "being scared doesn’t mean you’re weak. True strength, true bravery, is not in being unafraid, but in doing something about it. And, dear,</em> <em>I wouldn't be here if you hadn't done something about your fear".</em></p><p>
  
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  <em>"But what if...?"</em>
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  <em>"Shhh, none of that," Nenneke placed a lock of brown hair behind the teenager’s ear, "destiny is an unstoppable force and acts as it does for reasons beyond our control, it is not good to question it. You were in the right place at the right time, you saved my life and that's priceless. Although the least I can do is ask you what you want".</em>
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  <em>"What do I want?" Tissaia had stopped sobbing, but her face was still wet from tears, "I want you to be ok".</em>
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  <em>"As a reward, for saving me," the woman clarified, "but I’m going to be ok soon, I can promise you that".</em>
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  <em>"Do I have to ask for something?" Tissaia frowned, confused.</em>
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  <em>"I'm afraid that's how it works," Nenneke left another kiss on her forehead, forcing her to relax her expression.</em>
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  <em>"And what can I ask for? "</em>
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  <em>"Anything you want".</em>
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  <em>"Really?" When the woman nodded, Tissaia merely changed her position enough to rest her head on the brunette's chest and took a deep breath, "can I stay with you until mom comes find me?"</em>
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  <em>"Of course you can, what a silly question, dear," the Duchess smiled and adjusted her arms to the child's new stance, "have you decided what you want?"</em>
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  <em>"Oh... It was that," Tissaia confessed, noticing her own cheeks dying red when she felt stupid and ridiculous, "to stay with you until mom came".</em>
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  <em>Nenneke raised both eyebrows, surprised by that whisper. She knew Tissaia hadn't saved her out of interest or looking for a reward, but that she took the opportunity to have anything to ask her for keep her company… The Duchess carefully breathed so as not to alter the condition of her wound, swallowing the knot in her throat.</em>
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  <em>"Calanthe is going to be angry because you've used your request for that..."</em>
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  <em>"Most certainly," the teenager smiled, "but it’s worthy".</em>
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  <em>Nenneke managed to preserve her poise and tried her best while trying to make herself clear.</em>
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</p><p><em>"There's something I want you to know, my dear Tissaia," she waited a moment, to make sure she had the girl’s attention and then she went on, "if one day you need anything, if you don't know who to turn to, who to ask for help, you'll always have me here. You don't need to ask me to be with you as a reward because</em> <em>I</em> <em>wasn't going to leave your side at any time. So do never hesitate to come to me, child. No one so intelligent and with such a pure heart is going be alone or scared, not ever. You do never limit your sight, not even the sky is a limit for you".</em></p><p>
  
</p><hr/><p> </p><p>Tissaia opened her eyes slowly, needing a few seconds to adjust to the light. What time was it? How long had it been? Her eyes took half a minute to get used to the light coming through the living room window that reflected in the small glass fragments of the tea table that was shattered under her body. Remembering what had happened took her a couple more minutes, in which she did not move from her position.</p><p>Her hands and knees hurt, probably because she cushioned the fall with them. Miraculously, her body did not appear to present any cuts, at least not that she noticed on a first mental examination of her arms and torso. The change appeared when Tissaia attempted to turn around, resulting in a cry of pain and surprise at the lacerating tear she felt in her left leg. While her body had no cut, one of the larger glass fragments had ended up embedded in her thigh; which explained why she couldn't feel the leg and the metallic, acrid smell of blood.</p><p>Tissaia took a couple of breaths of air and forced herself to keep her eyes open, she didn't know how much blood she had lost, so it would be best if she didn't risk losing consciousness a second time. Vilgefortz was supposed to return home on Saturday, but he did so Wednesday night, taking Tissaia, who had spent the night sleeping at Yennefer's house —without her roommates seeing her, because they still didn't want to risk exposing their relationship just yet— and had returned home in the morning to change her clothes. It was Thursday, so her classes started an hour later, so her friends probably didn't miss her and they would assume she was at the mysterious girl's house, <em>‘making her time worth’.</em></p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>"Even if you're not staring at the screen, it's going to take her the same time to answer," Rita murmured, not looking away from a document she was reading.</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer looked at her for a second and then looked back at her phone. She had sent a good morning message to Sky and then another with a stupid joke, but neither had been read or answered by the woman. The young woman assumed it was because she had a busy morning, even though she had told her she had no classes until ten, so she sighed and chose to listen to Rita, setting her cell phone aside and resting her head on the desk.</p><p> </p><p>"Light that face, the world is not going to end because she ignored your text after reading it," any chance to mess with her assistant was too tempting.</p><p> </p><p>"She hasn't even seen it," she acknowledged, "and I know silence is not a big deal, it’s just…" Yennefer snorted, but she did not continue.</p><p> </p><p>"Is it just...?" To think that Rita wouldn't be interested in any kind of gossip was like thinking anyone could live without oxygen.</p><p> </p><p>"We only went to bed once, it was wonderful, but it wasn't... I mean... Let's just say she fucked me at her office and we didn't have time to do a lot of things, but that was last Friday and we haven't had sex again ever since," Yennefer thanked the Gods for she had her face glued to the desk and wasn’t looking at her boss, her cheeks were burning right know, "so I'm afraid she didn't like it and she doesn't know how to tell me… She probably wants to break up with me".</p><p> </p><p>"Honey, a week without sleeping with someone doesn't make you stop liking a person or want to leave them," the blonde rolled her eyes, "have you talked to her about this?"</p><p> </p><p>"Actually, we did sleep together last night… And last Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday… We just didn’t had sex. And no, I didn’t, I was too busy kissing her and telling her how perfect she was," she murmured.</p><p> </p><p>"Jesus, girl. Then just talk to her, it's the best thing you can do. If she keeps coming to you and enjoys your company, maybe sex it’s not her priority... Although I'm glad the advice I gave you worked ".</p><p> </p><p>"I think you'd like her, she is the kind of person who says things need to be talked about. Though I hate talking about things," Yennefer smiled, remembering the night of the observatory, "so I'll listen to you and tell her the next time we meet," the brunette raised her head, much more encouraged as she thought of seeing Sky again. "It didn’t work, not really, even though I ended up kissing her to stop talking..."</p><p> </p><p>"Hell, Yen, you can't say that and hope I don't ask you," Margarita put the papers aside and smiled, "I want all the details".</p><p> </p><p>"To begin with, she told me that if I use one of the ‘<em>fuck me if I'm wrong’</em> lines again and then say something incorrect on purpose with the intention of her doing so, she intends to never talk to me again," Yennefer's mocking smile and that information got Margarita to laugh; sometimes, when her assistant talked about this Sky, Rita could only think that she was Tissaia's lost twin. "We've been dating for two weeks".</p><p> </p><p>"I thought she was married," the blonde raised both eyebrows, surprised that she hadn't told her they were dating before.</p><p> </p><p>"She is, but apparently her husband is an asshole. Even her sister and best friends hate him," she shook her head several times, "I didn't want to ask her about it, she always gets darker it when I do it".</p><p> </p><p>"What do you mean?"</p><p> </p><p>"Sky is like a star, but not like any star, it's like the Sun to us, but when the idiot comes out in some conversation, it's like a cloud going past the sun and covering it up, so everything gets darker," Yennefer frowned, not knowing how to explain herself properly.</p><p> </p><p>"I understand... I think it's very daring to compare her to the Sun, though".</p><p> </p><p>"I know, that woman leaves the stars in a bad place... Being in love with her is like loving the stars themselves, and I really wouldn't care if that means spending only a minute or a second of my time with her," Yennefer's smile was rather silly at that point, but now Rita was looking at her curiously; some pieces of a puzzle that none of them knew began to approach each other, "but when you met her, don't tell her I've compared her to the stars, because the stars are... "</p><p> </p><p>"Luminous plasma spheroids," both women said at once, though Rita's voice was little more than a whisper and Yennefer did not hear it.</p><p> </p><p>The blonde frowned but did not miss the opportunity to continue teasing.</p><p> </p><p>"Is it that serious that you intend to get me to know her?"</p><p> </p><p>"Well… Someday, when she leaves the asshole husband she has, I'm going to marry her," Yennefer smiled confidently.</p><p> </p><p>"In that case, I hope you introduce us before the wedding," she seems like a nice woman.</p><p> </p><p>"She's not a nice woman," Yennefer fixed her violet orbs in Rita’s eyes, "she's perfect. She has a smile that could light up the darkest of days and... "Yennefer stopped hearing the melody of Rita's phone starting to ring.</p><p> </p><p>The blonde had been so distracted, wanting to find out more about Sky that it took her a few seconds to react and pick up her phone, answering as soon as she saw the name on the screen and looking at Yennefer with an expression of apology.</p><p> </p><p>"What can I do for the love of my life?" Rita smiled, but the silence she received in response worried her.</p><p> </p><p>"Do you have suture?" Tissaia took a while to answer, but when she did her voice sounded tired.</p><p> </p><p>"What do you want suture for, Tissaia?" The blonde frowned with concern.</p><p> </p><p>"I can't tell you," the woman murmured, her voice was barely audible and Rita had a hard time understanding what she was saying, so she had to put the speaker on.</p><p> </p><p>"Then no, I don't have any".</p><p> </p><p>"Damn it, Rita," the chestnut closed her eyes for a moment, but it didn't take her long to open them and try to calm the tremor in her hands, "promise me you won't be mad if I tell you?"</p><p> </p><p>The blonde looked at her assistant who moved a hand over her own mouth to indicate that she would not say a single word of anything. She couldn’t even recognize the voice on the other side of the line, for it was to weak and shaky.</p><p> </p><p>"Just tell me".</p><p> </p><p>"I've run out suture half-sewing a wound," by the way she dragged the last word, the two doctors stared at each other for five long seconds, the same idea in their heads, "I fell, it’s not that big deal".</p><p> </p><p>"How much blood have you lost, love?" Rita wrote a message on her phone and stood up, going straight for her briefcase and disabling the speaker, "can you take care of the first class alone? Before you go, call Triss and tell her to take care of Tissaia's today".</p><p> </p><p>"I'm not measuring it," Tissaia protested. "I just need a little bit of suture to finish, don't say anything to Triss or she'll worry... I'll be fine for first class. I always am".</p><p> </p><p>"I'll take care of it, go and let me know if you need anything," while Yennefer was far from understanding the situation, she knew it wasn't the best time to ask questions.</p><p> </p><p>"Shut your fucking mouth, de Vries, I'm there in ten. Don't move, don't fall asleep and keep talking to me," Rita hurried to the door and then ran downstairs, with no intention of waiting for the elevator.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm trying..."</p><p> </p><p>"Well, give me the full diagnosis," the blonde ran out of the building, with no intention of stopping until she reached the teachers' residence.</p><p> </p><p>"Lacerating and irregular wound, only inlet hole, object removed, and internal damage assessed and solved, it’s shallow, not in a particularly delicate area," Tissaia stopped, all around her circling non-stop. Margarita ran faster, "I think I've only lost eight percent blood, but I'm not sure. I haven't eaten anything since yesterday, so I don't know if dizziness is a consequence of lack of food or blood loss...  I also think I hit my head when I fell, but I haven't had time to evaluate it, when I woke up, I had already lost blood, so I'm not sure about anything. It also took me a while to focus and remember what had happened, so maybe I have a contusion".</p><p> </p><p>"Symptoms".</p><p> </p><p>"You know what they are," she wanted to sleep, not to talk.</p><p> </p><p>"I want you to keep talking, my love," Rita pulled out the keys, holding her cell phone between her head and shoulder, and opened the front door, then ran to the elevator, "where are you?"</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia had used her jacket to make a tourniquet on her upper thigh and control the bleeding of the wound, making sure to carry her cell phone with her in case she needed to call her friend. Her next step had been to crawl into the bathroom and grab scissors, needle, suture and disinfectant from her briefcase, stored at the bottom of the closet for situations like those, so she ended up sitting with her back resting on the bathtub and her wounded leg extended in front of her. She carefully  cut the fabric from the left leg of the trousers  and removed it slowly,, then discarded a considerable amount of disinfectant over the wound and glass, nailing her teeth in the arm with which she was covering her mouth to cushion the cry that  ripped  her throat. Since she had no gauze, she had ended up using the towels she found, in order to hold the blood once the glass fragment was removed. The next thing was to take the needle and the suture, disinfect them and start sewing.</p><p>Tissaia's hands had begun to tremble a little before she ran out of suture, her head was spinning over by lack of food and blood loss, and the only thing that prevented her from losing consciousness was  the adrenaline and the rational part of her mind that was whispering the next logical step on each occasion. Breathe. Put your hand down. Move the needle. Maybe dying wasn't such a bad idea, given the situation, but it wasn't something Tissaia could just do, not when she would disappoint so many people and hurt them with it. So tensing the suture it would be.</p><p>When she had no more suture, she had no choice but to acknowledge her own incompetence and ask the only person she knew could help her in a situation like this, as she had done before. Each of her stitches had been neat and perfect, despite the shaking of her hands and the numbness of her muscles, so Rita should have no trouble finishing the task. Tissaia sighed, after reviewing the whole process mentally; no steps had been left, so everything would be fine. They won’t hate her for dying.</p><p> </p><p>"Bathroom," Tissaia closed her eyes, not wanting to see how she had left everything untidy. The bathroom was a bloody mess and it was making her very very uncomfortable to watch, she needed order. That response had been somewhat slower than the previous ones, as she was having a hard time keeping up. "Feeling dizzy, nauseous, leg pain, muscle numbness, hunger, blood vessel constriction..." Listing everything she felt was easy and the routine of doing so was quite reassuring, enough to remind her that there was something she needed to tell her friend, just in case, "Ri".</p><p> </p><p>"Tell me, moon of my life," Rita pressed the sixth-floor button several times, praying that it would climb as fast as possible and no one else would call the elevator.</p><p> </p><p>"I love you," Tissaia sighed.</p><p> </p><p>"I love you too, you bloody idiot, stay with me" Margarita bit her inside her cheek to suppress a sob.</p><p> </p><p>"My leg is injured, I can’t go anywhere… Besides, you are upset, you told me you weren't going to get upset".</p><p> </p><p>"You told me you fell and I'm sure you haven't," the blonde couldn't contain the accusatory nuance.</p><p> </p><p>" Mhm... Yes, I did fall for someone," Tissaia laughed very gently, as her friend came out of the elevator and pulled out a second set of keys to open the apartment door.</p><p> </p><p>"You're not going to tell me you've fallen in love with the mysterious girl right now, are you?" When Tissaia would be safe again, Rita was going to kill her. Those things weren't said in situations like that one, when she didn't have the strength to scream like a fangirl.</p><p> </p><p>"Yennefer. Her name is Yennefer".</p><p> </p><p>Although the blonde knew her friend was smiling, she also knew that those were probably her last words before she lost consciousness, so she didn't even close the door while running into the bathroom, dropping the briefcase next to Tissaia. What had probably been a tight bun at first, was now nothing more than a bundle of hair, as if someone had grabbed it and moved it back and forth several times. Rita didn't need to examine her friend's body to know she would find more than obvious marks of what had happened, but she didn't have time to waste on it. She used the alcohol to disinfect her hands, and then checked the condition of the wound, taking the needle carefully and disinfecting it again.</p><p>Tissaia had told the truth about running out of suture, but that hadn't stopped her from closing more than half of the wound unpollutedly or to make the last stitch less perfect, so she could start where she had left.  Rita opened her briefcase and grabbed new suture, disinfecting her hands again once she had passed this by the needle, to start sewing the leg again.</p><p> </p><p>"Tissaia de Vries, don't you dare die in my hands because I'm not willing to lose you," without losing a second Margarita had started to give the first stitch, moving the needle with the right hand and keeping both sides of the wound fastened with the left. She didn't stop when she heard the other woman's whining, almost relieved that she showed signs of life, "you should have put on anesthesia, you fool. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to care for a patient derived by another doctor who hasn't even had anesthesia? Are you trying to die from shock?"</p><p> </p><p>"I didn't have any," the chestnut murmured, looking down with guilt. She didn’t complain about the pain again, tears pricking on her eyes, nor did she move, "I'm sorry, I didn't want to be a burden again".</p><p> </p><p>Margaret did not respond but she secured the last of the stitches with great care and then disinfected the wound again. Her suture technique was not perfect and precise, like Tissaia's, that much was obvious with one look, but her stitches would fulfill their function and that was all she cared about right now. Taking sterilized chiffon from her briefcase, she pulled it out of the plastic wrapper and placed it on the woman's leg, then she surrounded it with a bandage and secured her position. She knew that, no matter how bad Tissaia's condition was at the time, the woman would have done her job and the wound had been properly treated internally, so Rita allowed he herself to let the moisture in her eyes turn into tears and these into a constant flow pouring down her cheeks.</p><p>Now that the adrenaline was beginning to reduce her presence in the woman's bloodstream, her hands began to tremble and she ended up crawling to sit next to Tissaia, resting her head on her shoulder and letting both tears and sobs flood the bathroom. Rita was surprised to feel an arm around her, for she had not thought that the chestnut was still conscious, given her paleness, how weak her voice sounded and the blood on the floor. Without hesitating a single second, the blonde's arms surrounded the chestnut torso, clinging to her body tightly.</p><p> </p><p>"You could have died," the blonde sniffed through her nose, "it could have taken me too long to get here, I could have had no suture, I could have been unable to sew you, I..."</p><p> </p><p>"Nenneke..." Sighed Tissaia, dragging the name, but managing to express herself, "once told me that destiny is an unstoppable force and acts as it does for reasons beyond our control, which are not good to question," Tissaia's head ended up resting on the golden curls, "though I don’t like to be unable to control things… But the point is you were in the right place, at the right time and..."</p><p> </p><p>"Rita?" Vanielle's voice sounded incredibly concerned and made Tissaia stop and frown.</p><p> </p><p>"In the bathroom," she shouted, without moving, while closing her eyes for a moment. "You've apologized before for being a burden," the blonde whispered, "don't fucking do it again, you're not a burden, you never were, and you never will be a burden. I know you only put up with this to protect us, but I'm not going to stare and do nothing, so I'm going to come and help you all the times I can, whether destiny wants it, or not. So, apologize one fucking time more and I’m going to slap you. Or better, I’ll kiss your Yennefer".</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia frowned, but she had not the strength to reply.</p><p> </p><p>A moment later, Vanielle was kneeling on the other side of Tissaia, the concern partially hidden in her face because of the shadows that had been drawn on it. Rita held Tissaia's wrist to take her pulse, while the other woman unhooked her purse, from which she pulled out a bag of blood she offered to the blonde, without a word. At that point, one look was enough for them to know what the other thought and in those moments, Tissaia was not going to stop them from anything, she had a weak, albeit constant, pulse.</p><p>Margarita got rid of the chestnut hug and gestured to Vanielle to hold her, as if something bad was going to happen to her if they stopped hugging her. With slow movements, she pulled out an emergency transfusion set and a needle. One end, that of the needle, went to Tissaia's forearm, held by a strip of tape, for it was already at the right temperature. The other was connected to the blood bag, which Rita held in her hands above Tissaia's head, in the absence of something to hook it. Maybe taking a bag of blood from the college medical room wasn't the most legal option in the world, but it was the closest thing they had, and they didn't plan on risking one single second.</p><p>The two women were taking turns holding the bag of blood at a certain height and hugging Tissaia. The color was returning to the woman's face and her body gradually stopped shaking, coming out of danger in a matter of an hour. The half-liter bag ended up empty, so Rita pulled the needle out of the chestnut arm carefully, putting it in the discarded gauze wrapper. She then took a moment to take her friend's pulse and temperature, allowing her body to relax when she saw that everything was in order.</p><p> </p><p>"I canceled my classes today, I said I had flu" Vanielle whispered, as she placed brown hair behind Tissaia's ear, "I’ll stay with her, you should come back".</p><p> </p><p>"If I see him, I'm going to kill him," the blonde checked Tissaia's pupils, as well as the state of her reflexes using a pen with a flashlight that she always carried on her pocket. Then she got up to start picking up the remains of suture, needles and bags, so she didn’t have to look at the women as she spoke, "so I'd rather stay and help you clean up. Mi assistant will cover me".</p><p> </p><p>"No, Ri, we're going to kill him," the brunette hugged the body in her arms harder.</p><p> </p><p>"No matter how sexy the idea of imagining you as inmates is, I'd rather you didn't do anything sssstupid," Tissaia still sounded weak, but probably because of stress and tiredness, "your wife would kill you," she looked at Vanielle, "and your girlfriend would surely go to prison with you," she now looked at the blonde.</p><p> </p><p>"I told you if he put his hand on you one more time, I'd kill him," Rita growled.</p><p> </p><p>"You can't ask us to keep letting this happen, darling," as always, the brunette tried to mediate in the situation, "it could have been more serious, it could have taken a lot longer," her expression hardened, hurt at the thought, while she was unaware that she was saying almost the same thing the blonde had said before. "Damn it, Tissaia, you could be dead right now".</p><p> </p><p>"We can't see how he hurts you, without doing anything about it," the blonde's punch on the wall startled the other two women.</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia tried to move and get up, but Vanielle held her back.</p><p> </p><p>"I don't care if he has the file, I don't care if he can raze Cintra to the ground, and I don't care if he tries to kill me or if he talks to Stregobor to kick me out of here," Rita turned her head, her eyes again full of tears, "I can't keep seeing how he treats you, I don't care about being a selfish bitch, but I'm tired of seeing you suffer. For fuck shake, I’d let him ruin my life if I can save yours with that".</p><p> </p><p>Silently, the chestnut extended a hand to the woman so much had done for her for the last decade and waited for her to bend down and take it, to lure and embrace her. Then Tissaia grabbed Rita by the cheeks and left a kiss on the her lips, just as Rita herself had tried to do the week before. Having ended their relationship, they had both refused to leave each other's lives; they loved each other very much, but not in a romantic sense. So that kiss was just a symbolic gesture, usually used to comfort the other or to warn her that a monumental scold awaited her. It was a private joke between the three of them and it never got past a kiss. The only remarkable thing was that, when they got a kiss from Vanielle, they knew that not even hell was a safe place to hide; anything was better than having the brunette angry enough to need to use the warning.</p><p> </p><p>"Everything is going to be fine," Tissaia looked Rita in the eye and then smiled fondly at her, knowing that it wasn't time to say that, apart from the threats against Calanthe, Rita and Vanielle, Vilgefortz had threatened to ruin Triss chances of a better work —and possibly it was only that because Tissaia had quite well concealed the great affection she had for her assistant—, and even had implied that Ciri might suffer an unfortunate accident. It would be best not to worry her friends more than they already were, for they had enough already, "but don't do anything stupid... Neither of you".</p><p> </p><p>"You're not always going to be able to do that to calm me down, you know?" Rita rolled her eyes, but she sat closer to Tissaia and Vanielle, hugging them both. Tissaia took the opportunity to kiss Vanielle too, needing to see her smile, "I'm sure our girlfriends would get jealous if they saw that it".</p><p> </p><p>"Or hot," the brunette joked.</p><p> </p><p>"Definitely jealous, did you see Philippa's face the other day in my office?" Tissaia added, making the other two laugh at it. Talking about girlfriends had made her remember hers. She hadn't looked at the messages all morning, and Yennefer probably would have written to her and would be upset about her silence, "speaking of which, have you seen my phone?"</p><p> </p><p>Rita glanced around and retrieved the object that the chestnut had asked for, although she did not give it directly to her, recalling something then.</p><p> </p><p>"Do you mind if I check one thing?"</p><p> </p><p>"You know I don’t," Tissaia shrugged her shoulders and closed her eyes, letting her head rest on Vanielle shoulder. She let out a soft sigh when she felt her warm lips against her temple.</p><p> </p><p>Rita entered Calanthe's birthday on the lock screen, then got into the messaging app and Yennefer's profile, which was still saved as 'Piglet'. Now her photo was that of a woman with black hair on her back, watching the sunset on a cliff, but the doctor had seen that photo before and the woman's silhouette was familiar to her. The penny was in the air, the name, the photo...</p><p> </p><p>"If you wanted to see her face, you just had to tell me. You’re a forking gossip, Ri," Tissaia managed to not curse, looked at the photo and then smiled, "I did that one the other day in Sodden," Tissaia murmured, going back to the chat with the brunette, to write her a good-morning message, with both women looking at what she was doing. Having done that, she looked for a picture she had with Yennefer and showed it to them.</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia's smile in that photo was much greater than any of her friends had seen in a long time, if they ignored the times when chestnut sketched false but totally believable smiles. And with that picture, the penny fell. Rita smiled at recognizing Yennefer, feeling much better knowing what kind of person Tissaia's mysterious girl really was. Yennefer, the same one who had been suspended from practicing as a doctor for punching an abuser, who spent the day talking about Sky —who always looked like Tissaia, with reason, though she didn't understand why Yennefer called her that, something she would have to find out—, the same person who was always willing to help her, to do overtime and even sneaked with her into Vilgefortz's office just because she had asked for it. She'd probably need to have a chat with her, to make sure she treated Tissaia well, but she couldn't think of anyone better than that girl for her best friend. In the end, Yennefer was right, Sky was the kind of person Rita would get along with. And now, comparing her with the Sun didn’t seem that daring.</p><p> </p><p>"Ti, you can't say that pickup lines don't work with you, when I'm watching how hard you try not to laugh at that horrible joke that's hurting even me," Vanielle bit the inside of her cheek after saying that.</p><p> </p><p>"<em>'Do you know that panda bears don't dissolve in water because they're not polar?'</em> " Margarita was the only one who laughed with that horrible joke, causing her friends to relax and do the same. She returned the device to the chestnut, "I love this woman," she could also picture the wedding Yennefer was talking about, that morning, but she wasn’t going to spoil the fun.</p><p> </p><p>"Me too," Tissaia murmured, but she responded to the joke with a rolling eyes emoji.</p><p> </p><p>Vanielle raised one brow when none of the other women realized what Tissaia just said, but she didn’t comment on it.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm surprised she didn't send you any jokes about fucking her if she was wrong," the blonde dropped, needing to hear Tissaia's version of the matter. It might not have been her best advice, of course, not when it came to flirting with Tissaia, but the result hadn't been so bad, has it? Now that she knew who Sky was, she just had to give Yennefer the right advice.</p><p> </p><p>"She did it twice, the first one I let it go, but the second time I told her that if she said something scientifically wrong again just to make me take her to bed, I would stop talking to her forever," when Tissaia confessed that, the two women laughed again.</p><p> </p><p>"Why doesn’t even surprise me?" Vanielle kept laughing and kissed the cheek of the smaller woman.</p><p> </p><p>"Because it's normal, I can't sleep with everyone who says wrong things".</p><p> </p><p>"Sure, it's normal, just as it's not to tell me that you've fallen for Yennefer, while you're sewing your leg," Rita gave her friend a serious look, though the gesture lasted just a few seconds, the lovely pout that used the chestnut was too much for her. Vanielle was just too shocked to say anything, "next time, you invite me to dinner to tell me those things, not to your funeral. And if possible, I also want a bottle of Toussaint wine involved".</p><p> </p><p>"I'm sorry, love," Tissaia deliberately ignored the verb used. "It's just that until now I hadn't realized that I hadn't told you her name and..."</p><p> </p><p>"I meant when you told me you fell for her," Rita rolled her eyes and Vanielle snorted.</p><p> </p><p>"Have you finally recognized it? And you've given a name, too? And I wasn't here to hear it? I feel insulted! Outraged! How dare you two?"</p><p> </p><p>"It was just a way of talking... I didn't..." Tissaia's cheeks dyed with an intense red hue.</p><p> </p><p>"Oh no, don't you dare cower now, de Vries," Vanielle parted to cross her arms.</p><p> </p><p>"Va is right, you have to say it when you are in full use of your faculties, otherwise it doesn’t count".</p><p> </p><p>"Why do you want me to tell you that I am in love with Yennefer? It's impossible not to be, she's funny, beautiful, very smart and one of the best people I've ever met, but at the same time she has a strong personality. I'm sure that's why she gets along so well with Cal," Tissaia bit her lip, trying not to talk too much, but when it came to brunette, her thoughts were verbalized on her own, even if she didn’t want to spill all the tea, "and, just so you won’t make me repeat myself again, in four weeks I've fallen in love with a woman ten years younger than me. Happy now?"</p><p> </p><p>"Yes!" They both screamed at the same time.</p><p> </p><p>Vanielle let out a cheerful cry, marveling at the situation. Rita merely smiled broadly and embraced her friend with a little more force. After they had such a hard time making her recognize that she liked the brunette two weeks ago, none had expected a person like Tissaia to recognize much stronger feelings in such a short time, but none would complain about it; they were too happy for their friend. Moments like that one temporarily erased from their minds the existence of Vilgefortz and what he was doing to Tissaia.</p><p>For the two women, being aware of what was going on and allowing it was too hard, but when they had discovered it, five years ago, Tissaia had convinced them not to do anything about it, as that would only endanger them, their careers and their family. Still, the next time Rita saw Vilgefortz, she punched him so hard that she knocked him to the ground, his nose broken and a good bruise on his cheekbone. After that, she had to face a temporary suspension as a teacher and Stregobor assured her that someone with her temper would be better off away from the hospital, sealing her fate with it, as the Brotherhood would not allow her to practice again. It took all the blonde's self-control, but eventually she managed not to break anything else on the old man face. However, seeing their friend so vulnerable and hurt, and having been about to lose her because of Vilgefortz only intensified their hatred for him and their intentions to act in any way. They needed a plan and that's why they were going to need Calanthe in, but... The idea of telling the Lioness of Cintra that someone had touched one of the most important people to her was simply terrifying. Vilgefortz would be lucky if he ended up dead.</p><p> </p><p>Despite the discomfort of their positions, the three women stayed there for a couple more hours, before Margarita ruled that it was safe to move Tissaia to her bed. Vanielle had given her an energy bar she had in her bag and, at some point, one of them had gone to get some water, juice and something else to eat for Tissaia. It was the brunette who carried Tissaia from the bathroom to the mattress and felt her body tighten to avoid complaining or expressing the pain that any movement caused her. Rita went to the kitchen to make tea and find more food, as Tissaia was likely to be still dizzy after what had happened, and she needed to eat something decent. Vanielle brought a damp towel to Tissaia so she could clean herself and then gave her a nightgown so she could take off her bloody clothes. Neither of them paid much attention to the garment because, anyway, Tissaia ended up lying on the bed and with the blanket up to her chin. As the chestnut changed, Vanielle had taken the opportunity to pick up the bathroom disaster and start cleaning up the blood, coldly analyzing the situation, because, when Vilgefortz was killed they would have to avoid doing it bloody —that fluid was too complicated to clean and there were always remains. She had seen a lot of CSI episodes and she did know that. Also, it was fucking difficult to clean the floor of Tissaia’s bathroom right now.</p><p>By the time Margarita left the tray with tea, biscuits and pancakes in bed, Tissaia looked like a human again —rather than Carrie— her hair picked up in a loose braid on her back and the traces of blood were almost nonexistent. Vanielle returned to the room and took a seat to grab a cup and take it to her lips.</p><p> </p><p>"I can clean up later, you've done too much for me," the chestnut protested, taking the cup Rita put in her hands. Her friends just looked at her badly, but only the blonde spoke.</p><p> </p><p>"You're not going to move out of bed in five days, you need to have your leg at rest and no, it's not optional. If you don't like the idea, I'll take you to the hospital and you'll have to explain why instead of calling an ambulance you've called me and why I've accepted," with total seriousness and severity, the doctor's blue eyes pierced those of the smaller woman.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm going to finish cleaning before Triss comes, or she'll have an attack if she sees so much blood," Vanielle took a new sip of her tea and then left the room, virtually without looking at any of her friends.</p><p> </p><p>"She's not doing fine, Ti," whispered the woman, as she sat in bed with her friend, her voice was soft, but she also sounded worried, "she's known you for over thirty seven years, and not only had you been hiding things from her, you also asked her to lie to Calanthe and to look how he hurts you. It's torture to me, yes, but she's being torn apart and it's not fair".</p><p> </p><p>A moment of silence left those words floating in the air.</p><p> </p><p>"I can't let him hurt her..." Words rushed out from the chestnut's lips, "or you, or Calanthe, or Triss, or Ciri. I can’t let hum ruin all your lives, your careers and everything you've fought for just because I’m a fucking incompetent than can’t do one single fucking thing right. I don't care if he uses the file or if what happened comes to light and he knows it, what I can't live with is the idea of him doing something to you, that he's going after you because of me. I’m useless, I know that. I mean nothing to anyone and it’s ok, it’s not a big deal because some day, you all are just going to realize that, and you’ll be happier… But if I can protect you from my mistakes, I will." Tissaia's chest was going up and down too quickly to be normal, her voice getting more and more shaky. "I've put you all in danger and it's my fault, so you shouldn't worry about me, it's not like I don't deserve this… You should had let me die. That day. At least I had control over that… I should be dead because being alive I only get people killed".</p><p> </p><p>Hyperventilating, she was hyperventilating. Rita's mind took a moment to process that thought and act on it, her hands quickly finding Tissaia's cheeks to force her to look at her eyes, but the chestnut could not stop talking, having looped in, tears streaming down her face. Vanielle could hear her from the bathroom, so she went back to the room, peeked out the door and looked at them nervously. The two women knew that Tissaia's anxiety attacks were few, but very strong, so the possibility of her suffering an episode being so weak was at least troubling; if there was anything that could break them more than to see the chestnut injured, it was to see her completely lose control. Tissaia was not the kind of person that let control slip between her fingers under any circumstance, so she had to be very wrong to let that happen. Rita began whispering everything that went through her head, nice words, loving words, jokes… She was trying to express how much they loved her and cared about her, telling her that everything would be fine and that they were going to protect her, that they were never stop loving her for it wasn’t an illusion nor some kind of placebo from their minds. Vanielle, meanwhile, picked up Tissaia's cell phone and did the first thing she came up with.</p><p> </p><p>"You shouldn't even have come to help me... I know it would have been a disappointment and that you would be angry if I had died, but if that were to happen, he would no longer want to hurt you and you would no longer have to worry about me, it was a win-win," rivers of tears fell down the cheeks of Tissaia, who hardly found the strength to utter those words clearly enough, her heart racing and her breath unstable. Rita kept repeating her name trying to get her attention, but it was useless, "I know it's not fair to you and I hate to see you suffer because of me, but I can't let him hurt you. I can’t lose anyone else… I… I should be dead for years and you know it… I… I…"</p><p> </p><p>Vanielle approached, sitting back in bed and approached Tissaia's phone. She turned up the volume to the max and put the first audio that had appeared in the chat with the brunette. Yennefer's voice was much clearer and easier identifiable to Margarita this time, as well as sounding slightly funny. It didn’t stop Tissaia’s babbling, but her eyes did react to the voice more than they had to her friends.</p><p> </p><p>"Well, here I go, but if you stop talking to me for this, I'll camp at Cintra's door until you talk to me again. I mean, probably I can live without oxygen, but I can’t live without your lips. Or was it the other way around? Nah, I think I said it correctly," Tissaia stopped talking at the very moment she heard Yennefer's incorrect fact, completely confused and looking around for the source of the incoming argument starting to form on her mind. "It would be very inappropriate to tell you the first thing I can think of when I think about you… I mean, Mozart didn’t write an opera in one second, nor did Shakespeare write his poems in a day… Trying to describe something as perfect and wonderful as you it’s impossible. But, to be honest, I can only think of telling you how much I like you," she cleared her throat, "I don't want to start talking about you, even though you're the only thing I think about all day long, because probably my boss will be mad at me for spending all the time between classes daydreaming about you," true, Rita thought, trying not to laugh. She had to call her out sometimes. "So, what would really be offensive would be the fact that I couldn’t get to brighten up your day just a bit, given the ability you have to make mine shiny. So, my beautiful star, here are some lines that I hope can make you smile," the blonde could practically see the brunette's  half-smile, while recording that audio, "you're the most complex substance I know, with you I don't know how to react".</p><p> </p><p>Although the chestnut kept hyperventilating, the continuous flow of words no longer tried to steal the little oxygen she could take. Rita moved behind her, hugging her tightly to hold her body and press it against hers. She forced Tissaia to rest her head against her chest and listen to her heartbeat, as her own chest slowly went up and down with every deep breath she took, in an attempt to serve as a guide. The next audio started instantly after the first one ended.</p><p> </p><p>"I bet your chemical composition is full of beryllium, gold and titanium... Because you're be-au-ti-full," Yennefer smile was pretty obvious.</p><p> </p><p>At any other time, the two women would have laughed or rolled their eyes, but at that instant they could only look with concern at Tissaia. It wasn't the first time they'd seen her break down and become the prey of an anxiety attack. It usually took her quite a while to start calming down or getting out of the negative feedback loop she entered; so  this was the first time they'd found a way to calm her down so quickly.</p><p>The blonde looked at Vanielle with her eyebrows raised, silently asking her how she had managed to do that. The brunette, however, sketched a small smile and typed something on Tissaia's phone, while the third audio was playing.</p><p> </p><p>"It is also worth noting that you are like a quantum fluctuation, without you the universe is empty," the brunette's voice sounded a little softer with that one, for more than a joke it was a heartfelt confession, "at least my universe would be".</p><p> </p><p>It was pretty obvious Yennefer had done a little research on physics and it warmed Tissaia’s heart in such a way that also her mind went quiet for a while.</p><p> </p><p>"I wish you were ultraviolet light to see you more frequently," Yennefer let out a little laugh in the audio, causing Tissaia's lip corners to curve slightly, her eyes still closed and her cheek over Rita's heart, "I'd be happy to burn my eyes just so I could look at you a little longer. I must have an Icarus complex, but instead of flying, I just orbit. Anyway, it is what has to steal my heart, now it only beats when you move it," Tissaia's breathing had gradually synchronized with the blonde’s, but her own heart skipped a beat in that moment, "don't even think about trying to give it back to me, I don't want it, it's all yours".</p><p> </p><p>"Did she just say...?" Vanielle looked at Tissaia with both eyebrows raised, smiling at the suddenly changing color of the chestnut cheeks.</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia picked up the phone and, unable to write because of the tremors in her body, she pressed the audio button.</p><p> </p><p>"You know, if I stole your heart, you'd be dead, don’t you? Unless it was after a transplant, in that case it would be possible, but it would not continue to beat," Tissaia's voice revealed more of her current state than she would like, for it didn’t sound as usual. Still, Yennefer did not ask about it and continued to send audios. Her friends didn’t comment on her need to ruin a love declaration, for it was obvious it wasn’t the time to do so. Tissaia needed order and logic to get herself together again.</p><p> </p><p>"Then you’d have done magic, because I can assure you  that my whole heart is yours and that you have taken it without me knowing," she snapped her tongue, "do you want me to call you? If I don't hear you laughing about my greatly amazing jokes, it's not the same... But only if you can talk, I wouldn’t want to disturb you or interrupt anything".</p><p> </p><p>Rita left a kiss on Tissaia's forehead and began to remove her arms, so she could move to one side.</p><p> </p><p>"Eat the pancakes and do nothing to make unnecessary movements," the way she winked at her made it clear what kind of effort and movements she was referring to, but the chestnut just blushed more, looked away and settled into bed, Rita once let her go.</p><p> </p><p>Instead of responding to the message, Tissaia called Yennefer directly and her friends left the room, closing the door behind them. Vanielle and Margarita went together to the living room, through which they had not yet passed and to where the trail of blood guided, contemplating with some horror the state in which the glass table was, shattered and dotted with scarlet liquid, which was concentrated in a puddle on the carpet. None said anything about it, Rita going to get a broom and Vanielle a garbage bag to throw away both the carpet and the crystals.</p><p> </p><p>"How did you know it would work?" Rita asked, after a while.</p><p> </p><p>"I didn't know it, but it was worth the risk... I didn't tell her what was going on, only that she needed to hear her saying anything beautiful," Vanielle opened the bag, so that the blonde, who had crouched down to collect fragments, threw out some crystals, "what I didn't expect was that when I said beautiful, she’d thought of Tissaia, or that she would turn to lines like those. They are the worst," she smiled a bit.</p><p> </p><p>"She's never calmed down so quickly".</p><p> </p><p>"No, the last time she had an episode, it took me almost an hour to get her to start breathing with me and we both know it wasn't the worst one," with all the  big pieces of glass inside the bag, Vanielle started rolling the carpet, the silence lasting about a minute. "Have you seen her smile at the end?"</p><p> </p><p>"I've never seen her smile so easily after an attack, but I think even when we were together, she didn’t smile that way," Rita nodded, helping the brunette move the carpet. Her lips curved fondly, "I missed to see her smiling like this and to see her eyes shining as they do now".</p><p> </p><p>"We can't let him ruin this too," the brown-eyed woman said, raising from the floor.</p><p> </p><p>"We can't risk doing something and it going wrong, we’ll all pay for it," the blonde kicked the bag until the carpet went completely in. "When she's started talking before, she mentioned Triss and Ciri".</p><p> </p><p>Vanielle turned her head sharply towards the woman.</p><p> </p><p>"He wouldn’t... They're just girls... " The brunette grimaced and took a deep breath, lowering her voice a little more, just in case, "Rita..."</p><p> </p><p>"She's terrified, and after what he did to her patient, we both know his threats are serious. Shit, he's been about to kill her today, and probably he hasn't even noticed, nor would he have minded if she died," the only thing that stopped her from kicking the bag again, was the brunette's arms around her, holding her and narrowing her tightly. Neither of them wasn’t sure of which one needed more that hug.</p><p> </p><p>"We can't do this alone, not if we have to keep an eye on those two too," Vanielle rested her head on the blonde's shoulder, "we have to tell Calanthe and explain the real situation to Triss".</p><p> </p><p>"I'm sure she'll remove our organs in alphabetical order and then she’ll kill us," Rita muttered.</p><p> </p><p>"¿Calanthe?"</p><p> </p><p>"No, Tissaia when she finds out we’ve told her… Or maybe Calanthe will kill us first, it's a possibility, yes".</p><p> </p><p>"It's a risk I'm willing to take... I've known her since I was born, let me take care of her".</p><p> </p><p>"I'll talk to Triss then, but maybe we should wait until next week, there's a conference in Nilfgaard, so it'll be safer," it was final, they weren't going to leave down their friend again. "What about her mother?"</p><p> </p><p>"We left it in Calanthe's hands," Vanielle proposed.</p><p> </p><p>"Well, then I'll start thinking about how to tell Triss about it".</p><p> </p><p>"Tell me about what?" The young woman's voice reached them from the frame of the door.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hate me too for hurting Tissaia, but this is going to be the way to answer questions. As Einstein said, insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results... So "some people" are not going to do the same thing.</p><p>Okay, I'll just sut up, feel free to scream at me here or in tumblr, I'll love all your comments, even if they ere full of rage &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Blood (II)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Well, I had to split chapter 11, sorry, but it was too long and there was a lot of relevant information in both.</p><p>Here you have more explanations of some things. I'm curious to know if you have any theory already, because I don't know how bad I am at hidding things (though I could trick one friend about the big secret, so I'm truly curious to see if you have any clue without me saying anything).</p><p>Trigger Warnings:  blood mentions, implied physical abuse,  (idk if Tissaia being super soft is a TW, but just in case), mentions to suicide, mentions to murder.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Tell me about what?" The young woman's voice sounded from the door frame, she was carrying books and a bunch of what looked like academic papers. However, everything that was held on her arms came close to falling to the ground when her eyes saw that both teachers' clothes were stained with blood, as well as the floor of the living room; probably by the movement of the carpet. "Oh gods... O gods, you’ve killed Vilgefortz!"</p><p> </p><p>The two older women looked at each other complicitily. While they would be happy to do just that, they hadn't had the chance and probably would never have it. Margarita was the first to approach Triss to take what she was carrying and leave it on the table, as Vanielle approached her and placed her hands on her shoulders, with great care, waiting for her to look her in the eye before she started to speak. The young woman looked at the room in horror, her mouth open, so it took her a while to raise her gaze to the brown orbs.</p><p> </p><p>"Unfortunately, we haven't... Well, we could say the existence of that being hasn’t been ceased yet," to kill someone, after all, he had to be alive; none of those present considered Vilgefortz to deserve the status of living being. "I'm going to explain what happened, but first you're going to sit down and promise me you're not going to get freak out".</p><p> </p><p>"Where's Tissaia?" If Triss had sounded horrified before, she now sounded simply confused and worried, too shocked.</p><p> </p><p>"Triss, please sit down".</p><p> </p><p>The girl's eyes opened considerably, as the panic settled on her chest upon assuming the worst.</p><p> </p><p>"Where...? Where's Tissaia?" Triss shouted, recoiling a step. Her eyes were filled with tears that didn’t wait to begin to fall. "W-where is she?"</p><p> </p><p>When she recoiled a second step, the chestnut body collided with what looked like a wall of flesh of low stature. The wall of flesh, however, did not hesitate to surround the young woman's body and tighten it tightly between her arms, managing only to make her to cry openly and turn to do so in the safety of the embrace.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm here, Triss, take it easy. I haven't died yet," Tissaia was doing everything she could not to rest her weight on the wounded leg, but at the time she didn't care if she had to. "I'm here... You’ll have to do better if you want to get rid of me, my dear".</p><p> </p><p>Despite Margarita and Vanielle's intentions to scold the chestnut and send her back to bed, Tissaia's fierce and fulminant gaze made them lower their heads instantly. Both were aware that the woman thought of Triss as a daughter, even if she had never said it textually, and that the little skylark could rip off the eyes of anyone who dared to look in a bad way at the youngest, with equal ferocity to the Lioness of Cintra ripping off a head. The difference in temperaments between the De Vries sisters was obvious to the naked eye, but deep down, they both had the same chaotic strength within them and, while all feared Calanthe's wrath, very few were aware of how terrifying Tissaia could become if they really angered her. People could think that Tissaia’s secret to not being angry was the same that Hulk’s, but it was just a rumor between students. They hadn’t seen Tissaia angry and if they knew how it was, they’d never want to see her. And there was nothing to infuriate both sisters more than someone harming their family.</p><p>Tissaia could stand one and a thousand hells if it meant being able to protect her beloved ones, for she would do whatever it took for them, even if it involved living with a man who abused her in any possible way and who also blackmailed her. She was willing to die to protect her family —although that, in her eyes, was the easy choice and probably the one Vilgefortz was waiting for— yet, nothing prevented her from retaliating against those who had the audacity to even try to look at them more than they should. Tissaia could be Atlas holding the sphere of the world, yes, but she would start walking with Earth behind her back before allowing any harm to reach her people.</p><p>And, in Tissaia's eyes, scaring Triss and making her cry that way, even if it had been by mistake, was reason enough to let a hint of her anger show and reproach her friends. Thus, they both stared at the ground in silence, until Rita decided to disappear into the kitchen to make more tea and Vanielle chose to take the garbage bag out of the door, feeling stupidly guilty; the two women were unable to hold Tissaia's gaze or to be present in the same room than her right now. The fierceness of that tiny woman was sometimes scary as fuck. It was, somehow, similar to Vanielle’s, which made Rita just too scared and proud of her best friends.</p><p> </p><p>"There was a lot of blood, you hadn't come to class, and I thought... " Triss sniffed, her face buried in the curve of the teacher's neck.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm sorry, I wish I'd warned about the class, but I had a complicated situation… And you weren’t supposed to be here and see the blood, sorry about it too. Can you help me get to the couch?" As much as she hated asking for help, Tissaia was a long way from recovered, just a few hours after what happened. Her body was exhausted and she could do with a little more of sleep than she had last night.</p><p> </p><p>Triss, who until then had not adverted the looks of her boss, backed up one step and looked at her from top to bottom, unable to look at anything else right now. She considered her as a mother, yes, but had that woman always been so sexy or was it just the stress? She preferred not to think about it. The nightgown Tissaia wore was made of silk sapphire-blue fabric, clearly expensive, with silver lace on the chest and only covered up to half her thighs, as well as having a very pronounced neckline shape and adjust to her torso and curves with something close to perfection. Triss had to turn her head to look at the couch, completely red, realizing that she had inadvertently stared at Tissaia's breasts for quite a bit. Damn, it must be the stress, she loved Sabrina and she couldn’t think of her —almost— adoptive mother in that way, could she? Though she was only appreciating the figure she didn’t even know she had… And her muscles? She had a very strong legs and arms… Okay, she needed to stop thinking about it and just note to ask her in the future how to be that hot, it was for a research, yep. She didn’t want to suddenly become super-hot to impress her own girlfriend, nope.</p><p>Tissaia, realizing that detail, rolled her eyes and shook her head, wondering why Vanielle could not have given her anything other than one of those garments. Triss's sight, however, ended up stopping over the bandage of the chestnut thigh, her mind stopping the previous line of thoughts so it could begin to tie all the strings at her disposal. Again, she widened her eyes more than she already had them, her face giving rise to an expression that neither woman —now back in the room the other two— had seen before in the young assistant. Her voice had a furious connotation, some worried nuance and it almost sounded absent, but the coldness and hatred with which she uttered her next words, surprised and disturbed those present.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm going to kill him".</p><p> </p><p>"You're not going to do such nonsense, love," Tissaia's voice was so warm that the contrast between the two was practically violent. Her hands reached the young woman's cheeks and held them very carefully, "I will not allow anyone in my family to carry anything like that on their conscience".</p><p> </p><p>Rita walked to the table to leave the cups of tea, taking advantage of being on her back to smile widely, while Vanielle did the same, leaning against the door frame and looking at her friends. Someone should have given Tissaia a filter of truth that morning, for that day she kept confessing obvious things that no one expected her to recognize in her entire life, no matter how much they were all aware of them. Triss tried to keep as much composure as possible as tears fell from her eyes again; silently and keeping her lower lip bitten, she helped Tissaia get to the couch and sat down with her. The teacher took her hands and smiled tenderly.</p><p> </p><p>"You are not the only want that has feelings, Triss… You considered me like a relative…"</p><p> </p><p>"My mother, Tissaia," Triss was sobbing, but she needed to correct her, "I consider you my mother".</p><p> </p><p>"Well… Then, why didn’t you think I do think of you as my daughter? I do and I don’t like to repeat myself, so I hope you can remember that," Tissaia was surprised when Triss throwed herself to her arms, crying harder, but smiling. She left a soft kiss on the younger woman’s temple. Sometimes Tissaia had a hard time understanding her own feelings, but she knew she loved to see Triss smile. That girl had been a joy for over a decade now and she was proud of having her close; she just didn’t think Triss needed to hear what was so obvious to her.</p><p> </p><p>"Thank you for taking care of me, mom," the word slipped through Triss lips, but she didn’t take it back.</p><p> </p><p>"Always," Tissaia kept trying to dry her tears, unaware that her two friends were busy with their own, even if Rita would deny it latter, "now, I want you to know that I am not going anywhere and that I’m fine. So, nothing about killing people or crying, do you hear me?"</p><p> </p><p>"Yup, no crying and no murdering… I can do that," well, maybe not the crying part, but the other she could manage it, "is the mysterious girl going to be my new daddy now?"</p><p> </p><p>"I hate you, little brat," Tissaia withdrew her hands, dramatically, while smiling softly.</p><p> </p><p>"Nah, you don’t. You love me too much," Triss smile was wide again.</p><p> </p><p>"Indeed, I do," Tissaia raised a brow, daring the open-mouthed women to say something about her last declaration.</p><p> </p><p>Definitely, Vanielle thought, her friend had a very bad knock on her head and was acting weird. That or… Well, probably she was still feeling half broken and needed to say those things to Triss jus in case… No. She wasn’t going to try that again. They wouldn’t allow it.</p><p> </p><p>"Triss, can you give me a hand with the blood in the bathroom?" Rita’s voice broke the silence.</p><p> </p><p>Triss face was quite a poem, but she only had to look at the blonde in the eye to know that all she wanted was to talk to her alone, where no one —surely Tissaia— could hear them. Finally, the chestnut nodded and approached Tissaia to kiss her check before rising from the sofa. Then, she followed the woman who guided her to the bathroom. Since Vanielle had cleaned much of the blood from there and collected the remains of bags, needles, suture, clothes and towels soaked in blood, the appearance of the place was much less violent than it was when the two teachers had arrived; however, the mixture of smells from blood and cleansers stirred anyone's stomach. Triss stood still at the door and watched Rita start cleaning up the bloodshed again, silently. The blonde didn't really seem to want help and didn't ask for it either, so Triss decided to just walk in and close the door behind her, so she could tell her what she wanted.</p><p> </p><p>"I know you've recently known what's going on," the blonde finally said, as she knelt on the floor. She opened her briefcase and then the closet, slightly lifting the lid of the one hidden inside, under several towels, to pass different materials from one to the other. If something like this happened again, it would be best if Tissaia was well equipped, "but you still don't know everything".</p><p> </p><p>"What do you mean?" Triss changed the weight from one leg to another, nervously, as she looked towards the door with concern.</p><p> </p><p>"After what happened the other day with Stregobor, Vanielle and Tissaia have told me about it, I guess now you're in danger too".</p><p> </p><p>"In danger?"</p><p> </p><p>"Let me finish, Triss, questions at the end. You know the dynamics," the chestnut nodded and kept quiet, letting Rita continue. "You wanted to know why Tissaia wouldn't divorce Vilgefortz or why she didn't report him, but it's a very complicated thing and you're not going to like it, so please, try to stay calm and act like you don't know anything new because we're forbidden to tell anyone about this," a new nod of the young woman and the blonde continued. "It really all started when they met, but I'll skip that part and go until eleven years ago, when they started their relationship," Rita twisted her lips with disgust and some pain, "keep in mind that until five years ago, neither Vanielle nor I knew anything about what was going on... Well, eleven years ago, Tissaia attended to a girl who had reached the ER, everything was in order until Vilgefortz told her that she could go to rest for a while, that he would keep an eye on her constants, but when Tissaia returned, the girl was gone and the nurses were cleaning the stretcher. Apparently she had grabbed a scalpel and slit her throat when she had been left unsupervised," Rita sat on the closed toilet, looking at her own hands, "of course Tissaia knew that was a lie, because the girl was barely conscious when she had left, she couldn't have the strength to get up and get a scalpel".</p><p> </p><p>"Do you think it was Vilgefortz?" The chestnut whispered anxiously.</p><p> </p><p>"No, we know it was him. Tissaia had taken care of all the unidentified patient's paperwork, all the documents had her signature and, somehow, Vilgefortz took over the file. That's when he started blackmailing her with making the file public and ruining her career if she didn't start dating him," the blonde pinched the bridge in her nose, "we should have seen it, it was impossible for someone who only had eyes for women to start dating the person she said she didn't want to be friends with. For fuck sake, Vanielle said she was out of the closet at nine. But... Tissaia has always been complicated to read and is very good at lying when something she cares about is at stake. She would be an amazing spy," she murmured with her eyes closed, "the problem is that the file is not all he has. I'm sure Tissaia doesn't care if that's made public, even then, if it wasn't for how good Vilgefortz has always been at manipulating her emotionally. The real problem is that, if he was able to kill that girl, nothing prevents him from killing another person at any moment," before Triss could say anything, the woman raised a hand to ask her for silence, "at first it was just me, Vanielle and her sister. Tissaia was always very close to us and it was obvious that she preferred our company and our affection to his, so he told her that if she didn't keep her distance, we'd all end up slitting our throats at an hospital stretcher".</p><p> </p><p>The woman stopped, the blood in her veins racing and burning. She hated that man so much that she wasn't even able to properly explain the reasons, so she grabbed a rag, knelt and rubbed the blood off the ground with some violence, letting the silence settle in the bathroom for a couple of minutes, until Triss dared to say something. Her head was full of questions and, for the first time in her life, she really hated a person; the feeling was strange and confusing, but the young woman had been serious when she had told Tissaia that she was a mother to her.</p><p> </p><p>"You said at first, didn't you?"</p><p> </p><p>Rita took a deep breath and nodded, but she didn't stop.</p><p> </p><p>"Calanthe has always hated him, I don't know why, maybe she could see how rotten his soul was, maybe she was aware that his lesbian sister couldn't be with a man without something going very wrong..." She rinsed the rag and rubbed again, "she was the smartest of us all, but it didn't help, because Vilgefortz told Tissaia that the next time Calanthe made a fool of him, she would have an unfortunate accident," Rita closed her eyes, standing still for a moment, "Pavetta, her daughter and Tissaia’s niece, died in a car accident a short time later".</p><p> </p><p>Triss drowned out a scream, taking a hand to her mouth. Leaving aside that she had no idea Tissaia had a sister, a sister who seemed to be Cintra’s owner and her girlfriend’s boss… Oh, that's why Sabrina was so fond of the woman all of a sudden, they probably had met recently; she'd have to ask her about it. Still, how strange it turned out that Pavetta had died shortly after Vilgefortz threatened Calanthe... Because it was a coincidence, wasn’t it?</p><p> </p><p>"Tissaia feels guilty and carries those two deaths in her conscience. She thinks it was her fault, she thinks she killed them. When it happened, Pavetta, she was so broken and shattered that..." Rita rubbed the floor again, "it was five years ago, Vanielle and I found her just in time, but if we hadn't, she…"</p><p> </p><p>The blonde didn't need to give more details about it, as Triss was more than capable of imagining what she meant.</p><p> </p><p>"I guess by now you know what family means to her, so Pavetta’s loss was very hard. Calanthe doesn't know it yet, although Tissaia tried to tell her that it was her fault and that she would do well to blame her," finally, Rita ended up sitting on the floor, "she just tried to tell her once, then she concluded that Calanthe would be safer if she didn't know it, so... " She shrugged her shoulders, "it wasn't our secret, so Va and I didn't want to get into their relationship, but... We could be careful, and we could keep an eye on Calanthe, we thought we were doing well, but a while ago she told us that he threatened Ciri, Pavetta's daughter. He told her that maybe she would be having an unfortunate accident," Rita seemed about to hit something, so the young woman kept her distance, "he's also threatened to ruin your career and destroy any opportunity for you," the blonde looked at her, a deep sadness reflected in her eyes. "Tissaia has tried to protect you from him, she has tried to be cold and indifferent whenever there were people in front of you, but I guess the way he reacted to Stregobor a few weeks ago was more than enough to use you against her as well".</p><p> </p><p>Now that Triss stopped to think about it, it was true that Tissaia was much softer when they were alone or only with the girls in her office than when there was someone else around her. At first she had blamed it on the confidence and trust she had with them, but now that Triss was seeing it from that perspective, all she wanted to do was go find the woman, hug her and cry again cradled in her arms, while telling her how much she loved her.</p><p> </p><p>"As Tissaia has said before, you are part of her family and as such, I would rather destroy the world than let anything happen to you".</p><p> </p><p>Triss came up to Rita and sat next to her, trying not to blink so that moisture in her eyes wouldn’t fall and it would disappear before it was spilled.</p><p> </p><p>"But I don't want her to suffer because of me," she whispered, with a thread of voice.</p><p> </p><p>"I know, I understand the feeling, but she doesn’t," Rita surrounded the chestnut with one arm, "she thinks it's her duty and that she has to put up with all that for herself," Rita closed her free hand in a fist and squeezed with all her strength. "Shit, until five years ago she was carrying everything quietly, and now she’s thinking again about…"</p><p> </p><p>Rita didn’t finish the sentence, for Triss wasn’t supposed to learn about how broken Tissaia could be now. Both women stayed like this for a while, without speaking and staring at the door in front of them. Triss didn't want to ask anything else, she didn't have the strength to do it and she didn't think getting information was her priority at the time —she still had a lot to process—, so the silence lasted until Rita spoke again.</p><p> </p><p>"Vanielle and I want to tell Calanthe too," Triss turned her head to look at her, "Tissaia is going to kill us if she discovers I’ve told you, but we thought you deserved to know so you could be careful".</p><p> </p><p>"When are you going to tell her?"</p><p> </p><p>"I don't know, why?"</p><p> </p><p>"Because for another two weeks there are no conferences to which Vilgemort is going to attend, I have looked at Tissaia's agenda," Triss whispered, as if she had just committed a very serious crime, though she just needed to check her schedules, "if we have to be careful, it would be best to wait for him to leave the island".</p><p> </p><p>Rita smiled and left a kiss on the girl's forehead.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm glad to have someone smart on the team, Vanielle’s brain is not enough to think for both of us, but with yours, maybe we can do something. We'll keep that data in mind, honey".</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Big Bang</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter is pure comfort and I am not sorry about it.</p><p>The * you'll find at some point means: look at the end notes</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Despite both women's attempts to pretend that everything was going on as usual, it was obvious that since the last time they spent the night together it wasn't like that. Yennefer was worried about Tissaia. She tried not to be after she spoke with Rita —about Sky stoping to like her due to the lack of sex—, but every time she repeated their conversation it sounded worst and worst. They hadn't met since Wednesday night and it was Saturday, again, but both had been meeting practically daily, even if it was for coffee or a walk and venting, before that morning. However, Tissaia had said that those days she was sunk in work, because her useless boss's had given her more things than she was supposed to manage, so she had to stay to work until late; and to make it worst her husband had returned from his trip —which made Yennefer envy him for not needing any kind of excuse to spend time with the chestnut— so staying with her at night was not an option. Still, they both found time between classes to be write to each other or make a phone call, even if it was only a few minutes, which helped them both to withstand distance and absence.</p><p>Tissaia had written to tell her that tonight she would not be tending the bar in Cintra, but Yennefer knew it was very likely that in the afternoon, before opening, she went there to help Calanthe with the administrative part of the bar. So, she wouldn’t loss anything if she passed and said hello. At best, she would meet the one she wanted to, at worst, she’d chat with Calanthe for a while; it was profitable either way.</p><p>Determined, Yennefer decided to walk to the bar, stopping at a store to buy something, just in case she was lucky enough to find the chestnut at Cintra. It wasn't a big deal, but it would be too embarrassing to show up at the place with a bouquet of flowers and have to give it to Calanthe, so she limited herself to sobriety, even if it rested romanticism to the gesture. As long as there was someone inside, the front door was open, despite the sign indicating otherwise, so she walked in, quietly, and smiled when she saw Eist cleaning the tables.</p><p> </p><p>"Good afternoon, Yen," the man gave her a broad, warm smile, then he looked at what was in her hand, "I see you're not here to take my job, so I won't entertain you".</p><p> </p><p>Eist moved his head towards the office door by the bar, causing the brunette's face to light up and her smile widened much more. It looked like she was going to be lucky.</p><p> </p><p>"Thank you very much Eist! I promise to buy you a beer to make it up to you," that said, Yennefer had to control herself so she wouldn't run into the office.</p><p> </p><p>The man let out a laugh, for only she would think of saying something like that to the husband of a bar owner; however, he continued to clean up the place and let the young woman attend to her affairs. Yennefer only stopped when she reached the door, gently knocking on the surface of the door and waiting for an answer. Calanthe soon told her to come in, but Yennefer just opened the door just a little bit and inserted half her body into the office, making sure the flower she had bought for Tissaia was hidden by the other half of the door. Although she tried to keep her eyes on the front, to look at the bar owner, they could not resist the idea of moving to the left in search of chestnut. A silly smile threatened to occupy her face, so the brunette had to bite the inside of both cheeks. Tissaia was sitting at her desk, reviewing a huge book and noting some things at a notebook, she had her glasses resting on the tip of her nose and gave the impression that they would slip from it at any time, although Yennefer knew from experience that it would not happen... Besides, there was nothing sexier than Tissaia wearing glasses. Well, maybe she wearing her hoodies with the glasses on.</p><p> </p><p>"Oh, good afternoon for you, obviously it’s impossible for Eist or Ciri to call before entering," Calanthe smiled mockingly, and looked brazenly at Tissaia, "if you've come to try to woo me, I'm sorry to tell you that I love my husband very much and you're going to have to look for someone else," the comment made her sister frown, but it didn't draw her gaze nor full atenttion.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm sorry to tell you then that I'm already commited to someone," Yennefer added, also staring at Tissaia, always ready to follow the brunette's jokes, "you're going to have to wait for her to break my heart and send me away, if you want me to try something with you".</p><p> </p><p>By the way Tissaia blushed, before even lifting her head at once, Yennefer knew that the bar owner had achieved exactly what she wanted. The chestnut said nothing, her expression the same one would have a girl who had been caught taking a cookie without permission. Eventually, Yennefer entered the office, her spleen hidden behind her back and her body straight to the chestnut, so that only Calanthe could see what she was hiding.</p><p> </p><p>"I promise I won't bother much, I just wanted to take advantage of me passing by to come say hello," the young woman muttered, her eyes finding those blue ones instantly. The lie was so obvious that no one commented on it, even though Calanthe stood up and stretched a little, "can I steal her for a couple of minutes?"</p><p> </p><p>"All right, I'm going to see how those two are with the cleaning, they’d better be working hard," the woman walked around the desk and walked to the door, just stopping to put a hand on Yennefer's shoulder and whisper, "try not to make her move the leg, I trust you'll take care of her, as you promised me," with a solemn head movement, Yennefer promised to do what she asked, so Calanthe smiled and nodded, "I'm going to have to talk to Eist and see if he can learn some romanticism from you".</p><p> </p><p>That said, Calanthe left the office, closing the door behind her and leaving alone the two women who were still looking each other in the eye. None spoke during the first minute, but eventually Yennefer looked down and changed her weight from one leg to another, somewhat nervous.</p><p> </p><p>"I really didn't want to bother you," she said.</p><p> </p><p>"You never bother me," finally, Tissaia's lips curved up so slightly that very few people would notice the difference, but fortunately the brunette was one of them. Tissaia extended a hand to her to get her closer, so that's exactly what the young woman did, "I would have tell you that I would come to help Cal, but you distract me too much to be able to work, and it wouldn’t do".</p><p> </p><p>"Oh, are you blaming me for your inability to focus?" Instead of sitting in the chair in front of the desk, Yennefer surrounded it and used her free hand to take Tissaia's, acting before the idea even ended up forming in her mind, so she leaned over and delicately rested her lips on the woman's knuckles, causing her to blush again and harder.</p><p> </p><p>"Says the same person who yesterday said she wasn’t able to read a scientific paper because every time she read a sentence she couldn't stop thinking about me saying it aloud," she rolled her eyes, her smile widening a little more.</p><p> </p><p>Now that she was watching her from closer, Yennefer could see the tiredness and stress reflected in the woman's face and body with complete clarity. Although she wore her eyes covered in makeup base, Tissaia had dark circles, her eyes were slightly sunk, and the blue of her irises was much paler than usual. Instead of the jeans she used to wear when she was in Cintra, she wore elegant dress trousers, wide and dark, black heeled boots and a burgundy-colored turtle-necked and long-sleeved sweater. On the nearest wall were resting two crutches on which the brunette made no comment, not wanting to be invasive.</p><p> </p><p>"It's not my fault I'm thinking about you all day," the brunette protested, raising her face, but without letting go of the woman's hand, "by the way, this is for you," Yennefer pulled the flower off her back and offered it to her. It was a white rose with absolutely nothing special, but the way Tissaia's whole face was transformed was more than enough for the young woman to know she had succeeded, "I’d say it’s a flower for another flower, but saying you are a flower is disrespectful. You are the entire Eden…" Yennefer smiled at the way Tissaia’s face was so lighted up and added, "you must be my zero, because all my constants derive on you".</p><p> </p><p>Having both hands too busy, one holding the flower and one holding Tissaia's hand, Yennefer only had to lean forward and kiss the chestnut cheek, so as to dry the tear that had begun to roll down it.</p><p> </p><p>"You didn't have to..." Without knowing exactly what to say, Tissaia used her free hand to take the flower carefully, caressing the younger woman hand while doing so, "thank you, my dear star".</p><p> </p><p>"It offends me that you think I will not try to win over your heart every day of our lives," when whispering, Yennefer's lips brushed the woman's cheek.</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia was unable to understand why someone would take so much trouble with her, much less when she had already got what anyone could have wanted —and she was obviously thinking about sex—, but the fact that it happened only managed to melt her heart even more. She was so doomed with that woman. Undoubtedly, Yennefer was going to be her ruin, and every day she disliked less the idea that, if everything exploded, she would be by her side.</p><p> </p><p>"It offends me that you think you haven't win over my heart yet, Yenna," said that, the chestnut turned her head to look for the lips of the youngest and unite them in a tender kiss that didn't last long enough.</p><p> </p><p>"Is that so?" Whispered the brunette against her lips.</p><p> </p><p>"Maybe…"</p><p> </p><p>"Aren’t you sure about a data, professor? How daring…"</p><p> </p><p>"You are incorrigible…" Tissaia kissed her again.</p><p> </p><p>When Yennefer withdrew to lean against the desk, she used her two hands to play with Tissaia's fingers, unable to let her go, almost as if she was afraid that, when she released her, everything around her would disappear. The older woman, however, sought a more comfortable position and ended up resting her head on Yennefer's lap, closing her eyes and allowing herself to relax for the first time since Thursday. The brunette's soft caresses soon spread across her hair and cheek, making her smile even more, why couldn’t her lips stop twitching when Yennefer was close. The silences that was created between the two was as pleasant as the conversations and just as enjoyable, so they remained that way for a few minutes, until it was Tissaia who decided to confess what she had not told the young woman yet.</p><p> </p><p>"The other day I had an accident and something stabbed my leg," she opened her eyes to look at the rose, still in her hand, both things resting on the desk, "so, between that and the incredible amount of work I have, it's going to be complicated to take me on a date".</p><p> </p><p>"I can think of things that don't involve you walking," Yennefer tangled her finger in a lock that had ended up loose from the chestnut bun, "you could come home, I’ll cook and you move on work".</p><p> </p><p>"It wouldn't be fair..."</p><p> </p><p>"Any excuse to have you around is fair enough, honey," the young woman outlined the shape of the other's jaw with adoration, "I'm happy just to have you around, even if it’s just to look at you like a creepy fangirl."</p><p> </p><p>"You're more of a cheesy one," Tissaia protested, though the smile had returned to her lips and the color to her cheeks.</p><p> </p><p>"What can I say? You drawn me more than gravity itself," in the face of that, Tissaia rolled her eyes, which only gave Yennefer more reasons to keep going, "my heart beats for you, my neurotransmitters shoot every time I see you, you're worth to sequence," Yennefer laughed at finding lips against hers, trying to stop her from continuing her jokes, just as a hand clung to the front of her hoodie. While she responded to that kiss, she tried to speak in spite of it, "your phenotype is incredible," she silenced a laugh in the next kiss, "you're the Big Bang who created my universe," this time, laughter escaped from her lips mixed with a soft moan, when Tissaia bit her lower lip,  in protest, but she still had one more left, "and that's why I love you with all my hypothalamus".</p><p> </p><p>Although Yennefer had her eyes closed and her forehead resting against that of the woman now, she could see the different changes in Tissaia's face and body almost instantly. First her muscles tightened, her eyes would surely have opened more than usual for the surprise, her lips taut in a fine line, frown in her eyebrows, tense jaw, pale knuckles of squeezing her hands tightly and breath being held in her lungs. Maybe it wasn't the best time to drop that, but it wasn't something either of them were unaware before and it was more than obvious at the time that Tissaia was much more than a crush.</p><p>Yennefer opened her eyes and was surprised by the image she found. Tissaia smiled, her face relaxed and some tears were rolling down her cheeks again, despite her closed eyes, her muscles were tense, her knuckles were pale and her hands —one still holding her hoodie and the other above the rose on the desk— were shaking but it did not seem to be due to any kind of anger or discomfort with her words. Sometimes Yennefer forgot that Tissaia was more keen to cry when she was told beautiful things —when people really meant it—, than she was with the worst cruelties in the world; so she used her two hands to caress the chestnut cheeks and remove the tears from them with great tenderness. When Tissaia opened her eyes, the blue of these was so intense that the young woman could not help but get lost in them —always fascinated by how the intensity of the teacher's irises showed her mood or feelings so naturally and atypically— but they were still wet with tears she refused to shed.</p><p>The brunette smiled and bent again to leave a chaste and affectionate kiss on her lips.</p><p> </p><p>"I don't understand how you could like someone like me," Tissaia finally whispered.</p><p> </p><p>"I also love you, just in case you didn’t hear it the first time," Yennefer hated whoever made Tissaia unable to believe people liked and loved her, "and it’s because not all the oxygen in the world could keep me alive without you," confessed the brunette, with a shy smile, "and because what I told you the other day was serious, you must be a quantum fluctuation--," with Tissaia's lips back on her own, this time she gave up and kept quiet, letting her hands rest on the woman's neck.</p><p> </p><p>This time the kiss was as calm as the previous ones, but much longer and more intense, causing Tissaia to end up pulling the young woman to stick to her body. Within minutes, Yennefer ended up sitting on her lap, careful not to leave weight on the left leg —whose bandages she had perceived under the trouser cloth—, with both arms surrounding her neck and lips looking for those of the eldest relentlessly, despite the heavy way in which the two began to breathe. Tissaia's arms rested around Yennefer's waist, her hands motionless at the bottom of her back, as she refused to let Calanthe back in without knocking and seeing what she shouldn't. Though, she did want to move her hands a little bit lower, what harm would it do? Still, they had both ended up so engrossed in the other that it wasn't until they heard a clearing throat that their bodies tightened, and their mouths parted. Yennefer's height made it easier for Tissaia to hide behind her, so the chestnut practically buried her face between her breasts, completely blushed at being caught again in a questionable situation, while discretely moving her hands up again. Leaving a hand on the nape of Tissaia to caress it with her fingernails, Yennefer turned her head to look over her shoulder. She frowned at seeing an older woman, with a wealthy appearance and some familiar factions, standing at the office door and looking at them with a single raised eyebrow and an expression between skeptical and amused.</p><p> </p><p>"If it's a bad moment, I can come back later," the woman said, her tone much more cheerful and jovial than the brunette had expected.</p><p> </p><p>"No... It's not what it looks like," Tissaia murmured, though she did not rise her face, mortified. Yennefer was sure that only she would have heard her. However, the old lady seemed to have a rather sharp ear, as she approached to sit in the chair in front of the desk.</p><p> </p><p>"And what exactly is it, my dear?"</p><p> </p><p>"Mhm… Well…"</p><p> </p><p>"Look me in the face as you lie to me, at least," the old lady seemed close to start laughing at the situation, prompting both women to blush even more.</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer felt Tissaia slowly take air, before raising her head and peeking over her arm to look at the old lady.</p><p> </p><p>"Well... We were..."</p><p> </p><p>The brunette was fascinated, for it was the first time Tissaia was at a loss of words.</p><p> </p><p>"Kissing, perhaps?"</p><p> </p><p>"Perhaps," she muttered, looking down, as if she had just been scolded.</p><p> </p><p>"In that case, you should introduce me to your girlfriend," the old lady continued to sound fascinated and amused, but Yennefer couldn't be upset with her, for some reason she didn't know; she simply blushed more at the word she had used to name her, "who I suppose is the gooseberries girl.</p><p> </p><p>"Oh... Yes, she..." Tissaia cleared her throat, having a hard time, "Yennefer, The Duchess Nenneke of Melitele, Viscountess of Sodden and the next person in the line of succession to the throne of Temeria," Yennefer looked at the woman, who was supposed to succes the very old king Regis —whose daughter was long dead—, now with both eyebrows raised in clear surprise, "Nenneke, she is Yennefer…" A silly smile on Tissaia’s lips gave away more than she would have liked, but there was no point in hiding it.</p><p> </p><p>The brunette turned to look her in the eye now and added.</p><p> </p><p>"Who won't be your girlfriend until you officially and properly ask her," her voice was mocking, but it was just another way to hide her nerves.</p><p> </p><p>"Mhm, really?" The chestnut forgot for a moment the presence of the Duchess, looking Yennefer in the eye with a high eyebrow and the lower lip trapped between her own teeth.</p><p> </p><p>"Really," he nodded.</p><p> </p><p>"In that case, would you grace me the honor of becoming my girlfriend, my beautiful piglet?"</p><p> </p><p>"Yes, my shining star" Yennefer tried not to laugh, leaning forward to find Tissaia's lips.</p><p> </p><p>Nenneke did not interrupt, observing the situation in silence and with a warm smile on her face, for she could not feel anything that wasn’t joy in seeing Tissaia so happy. In fact, now that she thought about it, she didn't remember seeing her that happy before, even when she was a carefree child unaware of the evils of the world. So, the gods would save her from interrupting something as pure as what was going on before her eyes.</p><p>The Duchess would do anything for that<em> child </em>without thinking twice, so she quietly thanked Yennefer for bringing the light back to her eyes and the smile to her lips. With a sigh, the woman's gaze veered to the flower resting on the desk and then back to the couple, stopping at Tissaia's hands that were still placed on Yennefer's back and her arms now slightly bare, as the fabric of her sleeves had risen a little. With a frown, Nenneke tilted her head when she saw that, under the fabric there were marks which had been hidden, the appearance of which she didn’t like at all.</p><p>Yennefer rearranged in Tissaia's lap so that the woman could talk to Nenneke without difficulty or without having to move. The chestnut, however, merely followed the direction of the major's gaze and, realizing what she was looking at, moved her eyes away and pulled down her sleeves again, discretely, swallowing the knot that had just formed in her throat. Hopefully she wouldn't suspect anything, but it was Nenneke, there was no one more observant and watchful than her.</p><p> </p><p>"What happened to you, my dear child?" The old woman's voice sounded calm, but the joy of it had almost been lost.</p><p> </p><p>"I had an accident the other day," Tissaia tilted her head in the direction of the crutches, and surrounded Yennefer's shoulders with one arm, when Yennefer snuggled up against her, "it's nothing serious, the wound will close in a couple of weeks if I’m careful, and the inner tissue will recompose into three or four, I just need rest and keep the wound clean".</p><p> </p><p>"I understand, but what happened?"</p><p> </p><p>Several seconds of silence followed that question and Yennefer began to strain, suddenly uncomfortable and worried about the lack of answer, even if she didn’t know why.</p><p> </p><p>"Lately I have too much work and I thought it was a good idea to took one last time at the planning of a subject as I went down the stairs," it wasn't until she finished talking that she looked back at the older woman, her eyes resting in her nose, rather than on the woman's bluish green orbs.</p><p> </p><p>"I see... You should be more careful then, my child," the old lady smiled again, and Tissaia relaxed instantly, "Yennefer, dear, do you mind if I steal her attention for a moment? There's something I'd like to discuss with her on private".</p><p> </p><p>"Oh, no, of course not... Your highness?" The brunette frowned, completely lost in terms of the treatment of royalty.</p><p> </p><p>"Nenneke will do, dear," the old lady smiled and offered her right hand to the brunette.</p><p> </p><p>"Nenneke will be, then," with a big smile, Yennefer stood up and shook the woman's hand, though then, she turned again to give Tissaia one last kiss, "think about dinner, at least... I'm going to go help Calanthe and Eist if they let me".</p><p> </p><p>"Ignore anything they say," Tissaia whispered, before letting her go with a soft smile on her lips.</p><p> </p><p>Nenneke bowed her head as a farewell and nailed her eyes to Tissaia, before speaking.</p><p> </p><p>"Have you thought about what I asked you?"</p><p> </p><p>Despite Yennefer's curiosity about that conversation, she closed the door behind her and headed to the bar when she saw Eist sitting on one of the stools. Ciri pulled her head out from under the bar and smiled as she saw the brunette, almost throwing herself up the bar at the brunette to hug her.</p><p> </p><p>"Yen!"</p><p> </p><p>"Good afternoon, sweetie" Yennefer leaned forward to prevent the teenager from jumping over her and hugged her awkwardly, "I didn't know you were around".</p><p> </p><p>"Grandma has let me come and help because since <em>aunt Ti</em> comes to help her, there are many more people".</p><p> </p><p>"I can see why, she has very skilful hands," the brunette granted.</p><p> </p><p>"Do you say it from experience?" Eist asked, with a half-smile that only widened when he saw the color of Yennefer's face.</p><p> </p><p>"Did she make you anything? What are you doing here?"</p><p> </p><p>"Yes, she has," she didn’t clarify what, though she knew Eist and Ciri wouldn’t be thinking about the same kind of things, "and I..." She shrugged, "I stopped by when I was around".</p><p> </p><p>"I'm surprised Nenneke let you go in one piece," Calanthe approached the bar, sitting on the other side of Yennefer with a sneering smile, then looked at Ciri and gestured at her to come closer, as if she was going to tell her a secret, but her whispers were as audible as the rest of her words, "it seems that this young lady here is wooing your aunt, but don't tell it out there, it's a secret and I don't want my sister and sister-in-law to get angry".</p><p> </p><p>Ciri opened her mouth, between surprised, confused, amused and fascinated, but found no words to express whatever went through her mind.</p><p> </p><p>"Like I said, you can't blame a girl for trying," Yennefer looked down to her hands, smiling, "besides, what fault is on me if my girlfriend is the prettiest woman in the world? I couldn't resist her charm".</p><p> </p><p>"Girlfriend? Are you girlfriends? Grandma wasn’t messing with me?" Ciri was practically over the bar again, thirsting for information.</p><p> </p><p>"Yup," Yennefer felt her cheeks burn, now she understood what Tissaia had meant before, so she tried to change the subject, "what did you mean that you were surprised that Nenneke had let me go in one piece?"</p><p> </p><p>"Nenneke is like a second mother to us… Ciri, make us a Flower," Calanthe winked at Yennefer, taunting her again. "I'm sure she has probably come in with awful timing and the gods save anyone from putting a hand on either of us with inappropriate intentions".</p><p> </p><p>"We weren't... I mean, just..." Yennefer couldn't be more embarrassed at the time, and even Ciri let out a little laugh, "we were just kissing… And she was the one with cheeky hands".</p><p> </p><p>"Do you want me to thank you for not fucking my sister in our office?"</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer took her hands to her face, but fortunately Eist came to her aid, surely having gone through something like this by himself.</p><p> </p><p>"That office has seen everything by now, honey... But well, at least Yennefer hasn't been beat by a duchess shoving her with a broom and not precisely softly. Don't let her age fool you, she has a lot of strength and she’s very skilled," Eist was the first to reach out to take one of the glasses with a blue liquid that Ciri had prepared over the bar, then Calanthe did the same and Yennefer ended up taking the third.</p><p> </p><p>"It lacks juice, it’s too strong," Calanthe explained in a soft voice, and her granddaughter nodded.</p><p> </p><p>"Well, I thought she was sweet, and I don't think she wanted to hit me..."</p><p> </p><p>"I haven’t met you with parts of your body tucked where they shouldn't," said a voice behind their backs, causing both Eist and Calanthe to choke on the drink and Ciri to open her eyes in fright. This time it was Yennefer's turn to laugh, "but would you mind walking me to the door, dear?"</p><p> </p><p>The brunette looked at Calanthe, who nodded, and then turned on the stool to look at the old lady. Yennefer smiled, nervous and hesitating whether to offer her the arm or something, eventually opting to do so. How did one behave with someone of the nobility? Or was it royalty? What was the difference? Shit, she should have paid attention to history classes in high school. The relief was reflected in her face when Nenneke took her arm carefully, possibly for not embarrassing her further and they began to walk through the establishment. There was still a meter to go to the door, guarded by two men in suits, when the woman stopped, cupped Yennefer's cheeks and spoke, looking directly in her eyes.</p><p> </p><p>"Are you a good girl?"</p><p> </p><p>"I’m… What?" Surprised, Yennefer stared at her.</p><p> </p><p>"A good girl," the old lady repeated, more slowly. "I don't mean perfect, I mean relatively speaking. Are you?"</p><p> </p><p>"Yes," he replied instinctively, extremely nervous when the bluish-green eyes found the violet ones.</p><p> </p><p>"How many sexual partners have you had? I won’t judge" She tilted her head slightly, but continued to observe the young woman's eyes.</p><p> </p><p>"Three. No, f-four..." Yennefer slowly took air, stammering, "I'm not sure, k-inda t-three, k-kinda f-four... B-but they were all women".</p><p> </p><p>"Criminal record?" Nenneke squinted her eyes.</p><p> </p><p>"A speeding ticket," the brunette acknowledged with a thread of voice, the times she had sneaked into places, but she had not been caught, forgotten.</p><p> </p><p>"How fast?"</p><p> </p><p>"About 12 miles over..."</p><p> </p><p>Nenneke withdrew her hands and looked at her extremely surprised.</p><p> </p><p>"That's fast!"</p><p> </p><p>"Well... It wasn't too... Was... I’ve… We… It was way too fast," nervous, Yennefer began to speak extremely quickly, trying to explain herself and justify her actions. That woman was completely altering her, and, for some reason, she felt in need of making a good impression, "but I... I was downhill and I was… I was… I was coasting, ma'am".</p><p> </p><p>Nenneke kept his eyes squinted and just nodded only once, before resuming her march to the door.</p><p> </p><p>"I'll be honest with you. I don't like the excuse of a man she's married to. He conveyed an unpleasant feeling to me the day I first met him and I still don't like her being around her, but for some reason I don’t understand, she doesn't leave him," her voice was an emotion-laden whisper, with only negative feelings anger-related, "we both know she's as interested in men as I am in jumping off a cliff," one of the men in black opened the door for both of them to come out. I'm telling you this, so you know you don't have to worry about me telling him anything, but I bet you already know that, you look smart".</p><p> </p><p>"Thank you, but I'm sure if you weren't someone she trusted, she would have had some kind of nervous attack or something, but she acted normal, so I figured everything would be fine," she acknowledged, looking down, "I'm sorry we met like this, it's been weird".</p><p> </p><p>"You don't have to apologize for making my little girl smile that way," the woman smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder, "I love to see her happy, and I don’t think that she acting like she did was precisely ‘acting normal’, so I’m going to need an explanation from her latter," just then, the smile disappeared from her face. "But make no mistake, dear, my hand wouldn't shake taking appropriate action if someone hurt her, so I trust you'd treat her the way she deserves. If I see one single tear in her eye, I…"</p><p> </p><p>"With all due respect, ma'am," neither did Yennefer herself know where she was getting the courage to speak and interrupt Nenneke from, but she felt the need to do so, "I would rather take a bullet in the heart than be the cause of her hurt nor let anything happen to her. But, still, I think she's old enough and strong enough to slap me, if I were ever stupid enough to make her feel uncomfortable or shitty enough to break her heart. You shouldn't underestimate her or think she can't defend herself… But if you’ll sleep better thinking that you can do to me whatever you please if I don’t give her all she deserves or that I haven’t do my best to try and make her happy, then you have all my permission to kill me or to do anything duchesses do with people they don’t like. The only thing I want in the world is to see her smile and I’ll do anything in my hands for it… Well, and for the record, she has fucked up my brain, I wasn’t like this before, I promise".</p><p> </p><p>To Yennefer's surprise, the woman smiled again and seemed not at all offended by the way she had spoken to her, she looked closer to being holding her laugh with all her willpower.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm glad you're aware she is more than capable, but it still leaves me calmer to know that you're not trying to break her heart".</p><p> </p><p>"Seeing her sad would only break my own heart, ma'am. I couldn't live in a world where she wouldn't smile," just when she said that, her cheeks dyed red and Nenneke let out a laugh.</p><p> </p><p>"I see she'll be safe in your hands, then, I hope she'll soon send the incompetent she's married to the fuck out of her life," the old lady tilted her head then, "I'm surprised she's having an affair with someone, knowing her as I do".</p><p> </p><p>"From what I understand, he's an asshole that everyone hates, even if I don't know him… And they almost always pretend he doesn't exist," in the face of that confession, Nenneke's brows frowned slightly. She knew Calanthe and Adalia did that, but she didn’t think also the rest of the family and even Tissaia did it... "So, I guess she's tired of him not loving her the way she deserves it or to feel bad because of him".</p><p> </p><p>"What do you mean?"</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer changed the weight from one leg to another somewhat uncomfortable and looked back at the two bodyguards. Nenneke's expression then softened and the woman carried a hand up to the young woman's shoulder.</p><p> </p><p>"You can trust me," the old lady gestured to the men to leave them some space. "It may seem obvious that she's not happy if she's with someone else, but do you think there's anything in her marriage that doesn't make her feel good? You know, just to do the thing we duchesses do when we don’t like someone," Nenneke winked at her and the brunette felt a little warmer.</p><p> </p><p>"Well," Yennefer put her hands in her pockets, sighed, kicked a stone on the floor, and snorted, "I know I shouldn't tell you this, but maybe you know why. When I met her, he had made her cry and threw a coffee at her… And every time he calls her or texts, her face changes completely. I think they argue a lot, even when he's out. I know I can look jealous or something, but it’s not that, I know it isn’t".</p><p> </p><p>"I understand," the woman's jaw was considerably tighter than before, but she was striving to smile and maintain her poise. Between what she had seen and what Yennefer had told her, she just needed to make a couple of calls to find out what was really going on. "I appreciate your honesty and your trust in me. I don’t think you are jealous, either, so don’t be that hard on yourself and call me if you need anything," Nenneke smiled and took a piece of paper off her pocket. The paper had a phone number written with a perfect calligraphy. "Now, take care of her, would you do that for me?"</p><p> </p><p>"Always," the brunette nodded, smiling again. To her surprise, the old woman approached her again and held her tightly in her arms, before withdrawing and leaving.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>"Let me help you," Tissaia complained for the twentieth time since they had arrived.</p><p> </p><p>"No way, I said I was in charge of dinner," Yennefer turned her head a little to look at her and smiled.</p><p> </p><p>"You also said you'd let me work while you were preparing it, and between you and Calanthe, you practically ripped the briefcase out of my hands".</p><p> </p><p>"Well, one doesn’t just say no to the Lioness of Cintra," the young woman shrugged her shoulders, as she mixed the contents of the pan.</p><p> </p><p>"I did".</p><p> </p><p>"And what good has it done to you? What has it served for?" The brunette winked at her, for Tissaia had only told her that she was not going to do anything she said when Calanthe had told them not to get out of bed in a month. Yennefer smiled sideways, "in the end it was you who got kicked out of the bar, I guess that means I won".</p><p> </p><p>"I refuse," carefully, because she didn't plan to take the crutches, Tissaia approached Yennefer and wrapped her waist with both arms, resting her head on her shoulder, "she's thrown me out because of you, so it's like she threw you out".</p><p> </p><p>"No fucking way! Don't blame me now," she tilted her head slightly to the side until she leaned on the chestnut strands.</p><p> </p><p>"Language!"</p><p> </p><p>"Mhm, why? Are you going to punish me?"</p><p> </p><p>"Yes, no more kisses in a week. Happy now?"</p><p> </p><p>"That’s not the punishment I was thinking about, and I refuse ma’am. But you should be seated."</p><p> </p><p>"I'm fine here..." Sighed the eldest, clinging with a little more force to the brunette's body. It was hard to explain why she felt so safe being around her, but it was something she wouldn't change for anything, "and I am sorry, but I’ll have to pretend I don’t understand any insinuation made by that dirty tongue you have".</p><p> </p><p>"You'll hurt yourself," Yennefer lowered the fire to a minimum, and turned carefully, giving the chestnut no chance to do anything. She bent over, passed one arm below her knees and another down her back, lifting her up in a fluid motion, "and I’ll be happy to show you how wonderful my dirty tongue can be".</p><p> </p><p>"Yennefer, put me down right now!" Tissaia instinctively surrounded her neck with both arms, worried about whether she decided to drop her suddenly.</p><p> </p><p>"Or what? Are you going to punish me for real?" The mocking smile on the young woman's lips showed the appetizing of such a perspective and made the teacher roll eyes, "and I thought the universe would be heavier".</p><p> </p><p>"You're incorrigible," he snorted, but far from scolding her more, she took advantage of her new position to leave a kiss on the brunette's cheek, "are you going to carry me all night, or are you going to take me somewhere?"</p><p> </p><p>"Can I take you to my bed?"</p><p> </p><p>"Cheeky".</p><p> </p><p>"Is that a no?" Yennefer pouted.</p><p> </p><p>"You'll have to settle for the couch, dinner's going get burnt if you don't go back to the kitchen".</p><p> </p><p>With a dramatic sigh, the brunette obeyed and walked to the sofa to crouch down and leave Tissaia on it with great care. Before she could let her, though, Tissaia decided to press her lips against the pulse point on her neck, making her gasp. Since Sabrina was working and Jaskier would probably have gone to Geralt's house, they both had the whole flat for themselves and could enjoy a quiet night without anyone decided to interrupt them, at least until the chestnut had to leave… But that was dirty play and they both knew it.</p><p> </p><p>"Okay, but no moving out of here until I'm done and then you’ll just have to take responsibilities for what you just did".</p><p> </p><p>"We’ll see…" Tissaia smiled cheekily.</p><p> </p><p>Not without first stealing a kiss from the woman, Yennefer returned to the kitchen and finished preparing dinner, trusting that Tissaia would not move from where she had left her. As the contents of the pan ended their cooking, the brunette pulled out two plates, two glasses and opened a bottle of wine, confident that Tissaia would like it. She filled both glasses and took them to the table, then the bottle and finally, the two plates. Tissaia, however, had devoted those last ten minutes to taking one of the books that Yennefer had left abandoned on the coffee table in front of the sofa and was distracted by reading it, so it wasn't until the young woman's head peeked over her shoulder and when her lips began to leave suggestive kisses down her jaw, going down her neck as much as the high neck of the sweater allowed her, that she set it aside and tried to lift herself. Yennefer, shaking her head, put both her hands on her shoulders and smiled.</p><p> </p><p>"We can have dinner on the couch and then watch a movie," she made sure to whisper that with a suggestive voice and to make her lips ghost Tissaia’s skin.</p><p> </p><p>"Why am I not surprised that you have dinner on the couch?" The woman managed to sound unaffected, but the brunette could feel her pulse speeding up.</p><p> </p><p>"Hm, would you rather if I put the food on you and had dinner there? Because if that's okay with you, I can start right now," with a rogue smile, the only answer she got were rolled eyes, "okay, fine, I’ll leave that for another day, but can we cuddle later at least?"</p><p> </p><p>When Tissaia’s smile betrayed her, the first thing Yennefer came up with were the glasses of wine, then the dishes and finally the bottle. She sat next to Tissaia and tried to hide her surprise by seeing that, instead of eating, she snuggled up in her arms. As lovely as he thought it was, that night she wasn't going to let her avoid eating, just like she did the last time they were together.</p><p> </p><p>"Are you going to make me fed you? I meant the cuddling for latter, first we eat".</p><p> </p><p>"Can't we just stay this way until I have to go?" The eldest complied, without looking at her. She really didn't want to lose that sensation of security that the young woman conveyed to her.</p><p> </p><p>"Nop," leaning forward, Yennefer took a plate and took some food, "opens your beautiful mouth, or will I have to take a picture of how I feed you to send it to Ciri. Is that the example you want to give the girl?"</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia snorted, but instead of complying again, she opened her mouth and let the brunette win again. Delighted with the development of the situation, Yennefer did not waste the opportunity and continued to feed her, taking advantage from time to time to steal some kisses as ‘<em>payment’</em> for the service she was performing. While Tissaia tried to stay serious and remembered rolling her eyes from time to time, there were many occasions when she simply let a smile or laugh go away and express how delighted she was with that situation. When eating in shifts, dinner lasted twice as long as they had calculated, but eventually the dishes ended up abandoned on the table, the cups empty and Tissaia again curled up between Yennefer's arms, her eyes closed this time.</p><p> </p><p>"Which of your friends is studying medicine?"</p><p> </p><p>"Uh? "Yennefer opened her eyes, trying to keep the sleep out of them.</p><p> </p><p>"The book of complications in operations is not something read by someone who does not study medicine," whispered the chestnut, fighting a yawn.</p><p> </p><p>"Oh, it's mine, I'm a doctor, even if the Brotherhood won't let me exercise," though she sounded a little ashamed to recognize that information, she didn't regret it at all.</p><p> </p><p>"Oh, I didn't think with such horrible comments about the human body you could... wait! You knew the leg thing was just a tug! Had you been exaggerating? And when you told me to show you where the carotids and the trachea were? Was it just to make me touch you?"</p><p> </p><p>"Uh... All those answers may be a yes... But it's not my fault that my personal doctor was so irresistible," she pouted and looked at her with her best puppy face, "plus the bar thing was very sexy and I wouldn’t mind to do that again if you promise to help me out with the heat this time. I do prefer your fing--"</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia raised her face to kiss her and shut her up.</p><p> </p><p>"Incorrigible," she rested her head on her shoulder again after leaving a kiss on it. "Why did they take your license?"</p><p> </p><p>"I broke the nasal septum and sank the right zygomatic of a patient's husband," she murmured, ignoring the way the chestnut body was strained, "the worst of it all was the fact that when he sued me, the authorities offered to leave my case to me in oblivion if I dropped my lawsuit against him on behalf of his wife. Useless fuckers… And fucking Stregoboring forced me to accept before firing me".</p><p> </p><p>"You demanded him?"</p><p> </p><p>"He nearly killed her, his wife, so I followed the basic procedure of the hospital, until the asshole showed up pretending to be worried about her," she shook her head, angry, "I don't regret what I did to him, but I got carried away with anger and I know it wasn’t the right thing," Tissaia relaxed again and her lips curved slightly, now it made much more sense why she felt so protected when she was with her. "By the way, you know a lot about medicine to be a physical engineer".</p><p> </p><p>The silence and sudden tension in Tissaia’s body due to Yennefer's conjecture greatly worried her. She was beginning to fear that Tissaia would run away at any time without saying anything, so when she felt the woman move aside, she began to prepare some decent statement that made her stay a while longer. However, a pleasant weight on her lap attracted all her attention and her expression relaxed considerably when she saw Tissaia's head settled on her lap, her cheek glued to her thigh and the blue orbs staring at her.</p><p> </p><p>"I also have a doctorate on astrophysics and in quantic physics, but I used to be a surgeon... I started my medical degree when I was in my third year of physics... I had not yet turned eighteen," she murmured, looking away finally, to nail her eyes to the cloth that covered Yennefer's belly. Her family and friends said that she was a genius and yes, she was, but people used to hate and mock her for it.</p><p> </p><p>"Are you telling me you had half an engineering and started medicine at an age that many aren't even sure if they want to go to college?" Tissaia just nodded and the young woman smiled, completely fascinated by the woman, "you're really amazing," before she could protest, Yennefer placed a finger on the lips of the chestnut and smiled, "the most impressive, intelligent and wonderful woman I know and you better not take say anything that is not that, or we're going to have an argument you're never going to be able to win".</p><p> </p><p>"I wasn't going to argue with you," Tissaia smiled fondly, "I was just going to say that no one but you could think of me like that, and that I love you".</p><p> </p><p>"That's precisely arguing," the brunette snorted, though she began to caress the woman's cheek tenderly, "are you going to let me at least kiss you after you said that?"</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia raised, just enough for Yennefer to kiss her and then left her head on the younger woman's lap again, closing her eyes this time. She was grateful that Yennefer had not asked her why she had stopped practicing, she was not sure if  she would have had the strength to answer her, but she felt the urge to do so, precisely due to the lack of question. It wasn't as difficult as she'd expected, but, once again, talking to Yennefer was so easy and natural that it was impossible not to open up to her.</p><p> </p><p>"I quitted. When a patient I attended one afternoon in the ER died, I quitted. I never knew her name because she didn't have ID. I thought I had saved her, but I was wrong, so I the best thing for everyone was to confine myself on physics," Tissaia sighed, thanking her for the warmth of the arm that wrapped around her and the caresses in her hair, "that's why I started teaching, it was the only way I couldn't cause someone to get hurt because of my incompetence. And despite of that, my students hate me".</p><p> </p><p>"Whatever happened, I'm sure you did everything in your power..." Even if she didn't consider making a mistake enough reason to stop exercising, she was no one to question the chestnut's decisions, so she merely supported her as much as possible, "and your students are fucking assholes with no taste".</p><p> </p><p>"Language…"</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer showed her tongue to the older woman and they both laughed. Tissaia shrunk her shoulders and let her fingers glide down the brunette's arm extension distractedly, until her consciousness gradually faded as Morpheus wrapped her in his arms. When she was with Yennefer, get to relax was so easy that it was impossible to explain how all the stress, worry and tension disappeared from the teacher's body and mind. The brunette was not only her safe place, but also a corner of peace and calm in the middle of an entire storm. She was her constant.</p><p>Yennefer smiled at the speed with which the chestnut had fallen asleep and glanced quickly at the time on her phone. She could let her sleep at least an hour before she had to leave, so she thought she'd give her a chance to rest, away from any problems she had with work or with her husband. The young woman could not help but take the opportunity to take a picture of Tissaia, finding too adorable the way her factions relaxed in her sleep, making her look even younger than she was.</p><p>After leaving her cell phone aside, Yennefer resumed the caresses on the brown strands, smiling when her other hand was captured by Tissaia's, who embraced it in an even more adorable way. In doing so, the sleeve of her sweater raised enough for a dark mark that stood out over the paleness of her skin to be insight. Yennefer's eyebrows were noticeably frowned, and the young woman could not help but use her free hand to lift the shirt sleeve a little more, careful so she wouldn’t wake Tissaia up.</p><p>All her blood froze and disappeared from her bloodstream when she saw that the mark was not alone, but was accompanied by four others, with more than recognizable forms, mostly for someone who had been studying medicine. The force necessary for a person to leave such bruises on her arm was enough to stir Yennefer's stomach and infuriate her. The thought that someone might have thought of doing that to Tissaia made something inside her awaken and threaten to explode, like a bottle that contained a lightning, waiting for the opportunity to explode with all its power. While she had no idea of who would have done something like that to Tissaia, she was sure the chestnut had tried to hide them from her. Maybe she was overthinking, and it was really silly, it could be that those bruises had been provoked by someone trying to hold Tissaia so she wouldn't fall downstairs, when she had the accident... But if they had three days, the strength necessary to make them still being so intense...</p><p>Yennefer needed to find out what her girlfriend was hiding from her, but he knew that asking her was not a viable option, no if she had been deliberately hiding the marks from her so far. With a deep sigh, the brunette lowered the cloth again and stroked the woman's hair in silence. Thinking about the different ways to kill a person and make it look like an accident was not going to help especially, but it would make her calm down while her girlfriend was asleep. She'd have to find a way to get information out of Calanthe.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Aunt Ti* is pronounced as /auntie/ in my mind, so Yennefer is still clueless.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. C8H10N4O2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>My PC is broken, so I may be late for updates this month (that + uni are going to kill me), so I hope you can be patient with the great amount of angst that's coming.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>If the marks on Tissaia's arm were set aside, both women had been better than ever. When they were unable to see themselves because of Tissaia's amount of work, they looked for some time throughout the afternoon, night, or whenever, to call each other and talk a while; when they could met —those two weeks they could only do it a couple of times each— they ended up in Sodden, even though they didn't get out of the car, too busy getting lost in each other's lips. Both were as careful as ever and spent much of their time checking that there was no one around or watching them, because even if it was in comfortable silence or just looking at each other, any second together was worth more than a month apart.</p><p>Given the seriousness of Tissaia's leg wound, Yennefer knew it would be impossible for her to do many things with her girlfriend, but she was really happy to just hug her and watch her sleep. Since the conversation on the brunette's couch two weeks ago, Tissaia had done her best to avoid any kind of personal conversation, clearly haunted by memories of what she had told the younger woman. Or so Yennefer thought until the night before she had remembered to ask her about Nenneke's visit.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <em>"What did Nenneke want the other day?" Yennefer placed a brown lock behind the ear of Tissaia, who had her head resting on her chest and her eyes closed.</em>
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  <em>The woman did not answer but turned her head and buried her face in Yennefer's chest. She wore one of Yennefer's larger hoodies —which ended just at the bandage height— as a pajama, because, according to the brunette, she could not continue sleeping in such uncomfortable clothes. Tissaia had accepted the offer the first time and the young woman had turned her back on her to change, not wanting to be overwhelming. They had not done anything too physical again since the time in the office and both had begun to get frustrated, but every time they had the opportunity or started to be turned on, something or someone would interrupt them, so that particular day they had decided to lie on Yennefer's bed and wait for the interruption to happen.</em>
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  <em>"Jaskier wants me to invite you to dinner officially with all of us so that he can introduce himself to you and his thirst for gossip gets fucking satisfied at once," she tried to change the topic of conversation, hoping not to have screwed everything up.</em>
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  <em>"Next Friday he goes back to a conference," Tissaia murmured.</em>
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  <em>"Saturday then?"</em>
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  <em>The woman nodded and slowly breathed, her voice kept in a whisper, but much more fragile and vulnerable.</em>
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  <em>"She has a tumor, Nenneke. It’s operable, but she doesn't want anyone to touch her..."</em>
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  <em>Yennefer moved carefully to hold the chestnut tightly between her arms, taking her lips to her forehead to leave a tender kiss. She said nothing, unable to know what the right words would be.</em>
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  <em>"No one but me," Tissaia’s voice broke just then. She hadn't talked about it with anyone, no matter how much her sister and friends had tried to bring it up and ask her, but like everything else, it was different with Yennefer.</em>
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  <em>"You can let go of everything," the young woman whispered, still cradling her between her limbs, "I'm here with and for you".</em>
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  <em>Tissaia opened her eyes to allow tears to leave them, nodding once, almost imperceptibly.</em>
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  <em>"It was because of her that I started studying medicine," she whispered, as Yennefer kissed her cheeks, removing tears. "I started making cocktails at fourteen and when I was sixteen, mom let me start working at Cintra on weekends. Nenneke was always a great friend of the family, I've known her since I can remember, so sometimes she'd come to see us or have a drink with mom... The first time I served her something, I was nervous, but she seemed to like it, so she asked me to prepare something that wasn't on the menu, she urged me to create the perfect drink," Tissaia had to close her eyes again when her body started shaking and the story was interrupted by sobs, her voice not only sounded nostalgic it also sounded hurt. "I did what she asked me to do, I created at least ten different cocktails, but none of them were perfect... Still, Mom added them to the menu because she said they were impressively good," she had to stop again, "when I managed to do it… The first night I served it to her, she was stabbed. I didn't even finish preparing it when I saw a man approach her and sink a knife into her side. I jumped over the bar and used my T-shirt to press the wound, the knife hadn't pierced vital organs, but it was stuck in a delicate area, he didn't even bother to take it out. I was studying physics, but biology and chemistry had always fascinated me, so I read all sorts of things and a while before I had read in a couple of academic essays how to treat such wounds until the patient could be transferred to a medical center and attended by specialists," Tissaia stopped again, her voice was beginning to tremble again, "I kept her alive until the ambulance arrived and then on the way to the hospital. According to Stregobor and Vilgefortz, she only survived because I was there that day," Yennefer was so worried about the way Tissaia was breaking that she overlooked the poison and hatred with which those names had been pronounced. "When Nenneke asked me what I wanted in exchange for saving her, I told her I just wanted to stay with her until mom came pick me up," the smile was full of pain, "so I stayed with her. But a couple of months later, mom asked me if I was sure I wanted to continue with the engineering. I loved the career and everything I was learning, but Nenneke said something when she was with me and I told mom about it. Mom asked me if I thought I would able to study both. I don't even know what went through my head, but I said yes," Tissaia moistened her lips and reopened her eyes, "I didn't know, but Nenneke paid for my entire medical career and what was left of engineering. I told her I didn't want anything in return, but she did it anyway and... And now that she's asked me to do something for her, I can't do it".</em>
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  <em>"What are you afraid of?" Yennefer whispered, trying to keep her own tears at bay.</em>
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  <em>"Someone else dying because of me," Tissaia managed to articulate, before starting to cry again. The young woman hugged her tighter, letting her let go of everything she had inside.</em>
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  <em>"Isn't that what's going to happen if you don't operate on her?" Yennefer's voice was calm and affectionate, her lips rubbing the woman's forehead with every word. She wasn't accusing her, rather she seemed to be asking her with sincere curiosity, as if she didn't already know the answer. She just wanted Tissaia to see the whole picture, "you're the only surgeon she trusts enough for that. But whether or not you decide to do it, whether she dies inside or outside an operating room, the real question is if you can live with the decision you make. If you try and lose her on a table, or you don’t, and you have to live with the idea of having had the opportunity to do something and have said no... Although something tells me that intervention is within your specialization, am I wrong?"</em>
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  <em>Tissaia shook her head.</em>
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  <em>"Neurosurgery," was the only thing Tissaia whispered, before closing her eyes and deflecting the conversation, as she always did, "do you want me to come to dinner on Saturday then?"</em>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>"I think I'm going to go upstairs, get Stregobor and fuck him in the middle of the hall while making a live stream".</p><p> </p><p>"Ok… What the fuck?" Yennefer turned her head to Rita, who looked at her with both eyebrows raised and a nuance of concern reflected in her eyes.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm glad to have your attention again, Yen, now, where did you lost yourself?"</p><p> </p><p>"That was disgusting," the young woman twisted the gesture in a disgusted grimace and shook her head, traumatized, "I don't know, I'm sorry, I was distracted thinking about something".</p><p> </p><p>"Am I going to have to go talk to your girlfriend so she can stop distracting you while you're working?" She couldn’t believe she was saying that about Tissaia, but… She was. Fuck, the world was crazy.</p><p> </p><p>"What? No! It's not her fault! It's just that... Sometimes I just wish I knew how to help her with a few things".</p><p> </p><p>"Wow, I'm glad to find out this way that we're officially using the g word," Rita's eyebrows just rose a little higher when she saw that, again, Yennefer didn't correct her.</p><p> </p><p>Due to the horrific amount of work Stregobor had commissioned of Tissaia —including virtually everything Vilgefortz was supposed to do— as punishment for whatever led them to argue, the chestnut barely had time to raise the head of a paper and her work. When she had a spare time that did not coincide with Yennefer's free time, Tissaia spent it on her office, Vanielle's or Rita's house, but it was never enough to allow them to address any important issues beyond how she felt in general. The change in Tissaia was subtle, but for those who knew her well enough, happiness seemed to be painted in vivid colors all over her face.</p><p>They hadn't had time to talk about the state of that complicated relationship between the two women yet, so Rita had ended up deciding that if it wasn't Tissaia who kept her informed about it, it would have to be the young woman who did it. So now she would be able to annoy her friend with the information advantage she had… But there was something else, something she had missed on her friend’s eyes.</p><p> </p><p>"Do you need advice? I'm very good at keeping secrets".</p><p> </p><p>"I really appreciate it, Rita," a little smile was drawn on Yennefer's lips, "but they're not my secrets, so it's not in my hand to tell them. There's just something that worries her, it's a complicated decision and I think only she should make it, but there's something holding her back and I don't know how to help her with it".</p><p> </p><p>"If you really think she's the one who should make that decision, you can't help her, honey. All you can do is stand by her side and support her, whatever she does in the end," the blonde stood up and took a folder of papers. She was supposed to have brought them the day before to Tissaia, but now it was the perfect excuse to make the two idiots realize who they were. They'd thank her later, "I think it's best if you have some fresh air for a while, why don't you take this to Tissaia for me?"</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer said nothing at first, but then she ended up taking the folder and nodding, striving to smile again.</p><p> </p><p>"I guess any excuse to go see Triss is good".</p><p> </p><p>"Mhm... Try not to get distracted by the very precious women that are physics teachers," Margarita smiled, enigmatically, "and be careful not to fall in love with my best friend".</p><p> </p><p>"I don't think Tissaia or Vanielle are my type," the young woman rolled her eyes and walked to the door, "I'll try not to take long".</p><p> </p><p>The blonde raised a hand to say goodbye to her assistant, trying to contain a laugh. She would wait a few minutes before she went herself to the physics building and enjoy what she expected to be a great show organized by herself to her own entertainment. With a little luck, maybe that way her friend would relax a little and give her a chance to embarrass her for a while.</p><p> </p><p>Meanwhile and without too much desire, Yennefer took the elevator down to the ground floor. The truth is that she could use the walk to clear her mind a little and Triss always helped her with everything... Perhaps it was time to talk to her about the advances in her relationship with Sky, she couldn't think of anyone better than her to advise her on something like that, even though she knew Rita was right and it was best to just support her girlfriend, no matter what she did, without interfering.</p><p>Should she get her friend a coffee? Maybe she was too busy with the witch and her job to have time to take one... With a heavy sigh and the folder attached to her chest and surrounded by both arms, Yennefer quickened the pace, hoping to be able to arrive in time for lunch break. Surely she would regret not being able to talk to her girlfriend at the time, but she was dying to tell Triss absolutely everything, especially knowing that Sabrina would not have told her anything yet. So he entered the building and looked around curiously.</p><p>Now that she thought about it, she had no idea where Tissaia's office was or what the woman would look like, so she'd choose to send Triss a message and trust her to be looking at the phone at the time. But Triss never looked at her phone when she was working, so the message didn't even went mark as read, causing the brunette to snort.</p><p>A woman, black hair and brown eyes, approached her with a kind smile. Maybe Rita hadn't exaggerated as much as she thought at first, since that woman was really beautiful —she was now in her top 2 of Thanedd University’s teachers, right after Rita. She must have been about forty, perhaps a little less, but her eyes flashed with intelligence and warmth; Yennefer would have loved to have a teacher like her.</p><p> </p><p>"Excuse me, can I help you with something?" The woman looked at her from top to bottom with some curiosity.</p><p> </p><p>"Uh... Rita has asked me to bring this to Tissaia," the young woman acknowledged showing her the folder, although her expression became confused when she looked at the way the brunette's eyes had opened with clear surprise. Was there something she was missing?</p><p> </p><p>"Oh," the woman said nothing more, the smile on her lips widening, "and why do you look so lost?"</p><p> </p><p>"I... I don't know where that woman's office is," she clarified, looking a little embarrassed, "Rita hasn’t told me where professor De Vries office is…"</p><p> </p><p>Vanielle raised both eyebrows, beginning to read the situation before her, her smile reflecting some fun then; she thought she'd kill Rita for not telling her that Tissaia's Yennefer was her assistant, but that was going to be after the fun.</p><p> </p><p>"In that case, let me accompany you," she wasn't willing to miss a single second of that, so she started walking towards the elevator, stopping at the door to wait for it to come down. Using the time of wait, the woman turned to Yennefer and offered her the right hand, "I'm Vanielle Brugge, nice to meet you, Yennefer".</p><p> </p><p>"It's my pleasure, Professor Brugge," the young woman shook her hand with a little smile, and then entered the elevator, following her. She could see now why Rita was worried for her falling in love with her friend. If Tissaia was half as beautiful as Vanielle, she’d have to come visit them more regularly, "I see Rita... Professor Laux-Antille has told you before, but I'm Yennefer Vengerberg".</p><p> </p><p>"Hm, yes, something has come to me about it," the teacher looked up as the doors began to close and one hand prevented it, all its countenance instantly twitching. The smile and any positive or pleasant feeling disappeared from her face, being replaced by a poorly disguised grimace.</p><p> </p><p>"Good morning, Professor".</p><p> </p><p>"Yennefer, dear, very good morning," Vilgefortz entered the elevator and smiled at the young woman, completely ignoring the other one, who just took out her phone and sent a message, "how's your Monday?"</p><p> </p><p>"Pretty good, for the moment, what about yours?" Despite the obvious tension, Yennefer tried to smile and keep the atmosphere calmed.</p><p> </p><p>"Better now that I meet someone who has manners in this building," the man curved his smile and winked at her, "some teachers should learn from their assistants".</p><p> </p><p>"I bet those teachers have plenty of reasons to deprive those who don't deserve them from their manners," the coldness in Vanielle's voice startled the young woman, who looked at her with some discomfort. Where was the nice woman from a second ago, this looked like her frozen twin?</p><p> </p><p>"Women and their excuses..." Vilgefortz rolled his eyes without losing his smile, as charming as ever, "what brings a brilliant student doomed by her boss to a building as boring as this one?"</p><p> </p><p>"Professor Laux-Antille has asked me to bring some documents to Professor De Vries," she explained.</p><p> </p><p>"I don't know why I'm not surprised that those women don't even have the capacity to do something as simple as bringing some documents," he muttered and then shook his head, laughing later, "if you ever want to work for someone who's really worth it, I could use a second assistant, and obviously it’s only an extra if she's so pretty," again, she winked at Yennefer.</p><p> </p><p>"Is sleeping with your other assistant the reason why her competence is null or was nepotism the only thing that granted her the job, Professor Roggeveen?"</p><p> </p><p>"I don't think that's your business, Professor Brugge, or anything we should talk about in front of dear Yennefer".</p><p> </p><p>"Don't worry, Professor, your sex life doesn't interest me, and I’d never sleep with you," the young woman tertiated with a little smile. The more Vilgefortz spoke, the less she liked the sensations conveyed to her by this man; as if he had something dark and twisted inside him, something that was very difficult to see. Also, he was a fucking misogynist. "Besides, I love working for Rita, she's very good at what she does and the best boss I could have asked for. I definitely wouldn't change her," she stated, this time realizing how Vanielle's shoulders relaxed with her words. She looked at the man again, "what brings you here, though, if you so much hate the place?"</p><p> </p><p>"I’ve come to see my wife, I spent the weekend at a seminary in Redania, so the least I can do is stop by and say hello," the man smiled in a way that might have seemed tender and affectionate, if Yennefer hadn't been observant to all his facial expressions or suspected he was hiding something; his eyes had an angry nuance and there was also something she didn’t know how to name. The young woman suppressed a shiver and her suspicions only increased when Vanielle spoke.</p><p> </p><p>"She is busy working on scheduling her subjects with Triss, now that Stregobor makes her teach those of others too. Apparently on the top floor of the biological building has plenty of capabilities missing," the door opened, but none of the three moved.</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer was almost certain that Vilgefortz was about to pounce on Vanielle and she was willing to defend the woman, if necessary. The seconds passed in complete tension until the man smiled and shook his head, leaving the elevator.</p><p> </p><p>"I bet <em>my</em> <em>wife</em> will have time for me," however, he turned halfway around, "my offer still stands for when you change your mind, Vengerberg".</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer nodded and tried to smile, even if he had turned his back on her, but the gesture was so tense and false that she had to thank the man for not looking at her. Vanielle, on the other hand, took a deep breath and came out of the elevator; she couldn't stop him from entering the office, so she stayed in the middle of the hall, controlling herself so as not to curse.</p><p> </p><p>"I know it's none of my business, but... I've never seen him talk like that to anyone before," she whispered, "are you all right, Professor?"</p><p> </p><p>The brunette smiled warmly and placed a hand on the young woman's shoulder, almost fondly.</p><p> </p><p>"I appreciate your concern, but it's always like that with us, so you don’t need to worry".</p><p> </p><p>"I don't think anyone can be unworried with him around..." The younger woman shook her head several times, really restless, "will Professor De Vries be fine? He seemed upset."</p><p> </p><p>"He's always upset, so I have no idea... But it's best if we wait on my office," even Rita agreed, as the notification on her cell phone placed particular emphasis on not letting Yennefer see Tissaia with Vilgefortz nearby.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The door opened without warning, causing the two women to interrupt their conversation and raise their heads abruptly to direct their gazes towards the entrance of the office. Triss turned pale and Tissaia just stopped smiling and tightened her jaw, a completely neutral expression on her face. Both set aside the papers they had been reviewing, as the man entered the room, looking at them with a friendly smile.</p><p> </p><p>"Good morning, ladies," he approached Tissaia and bent down to kiss her, smiling even more when the gesture was reciprocated.</p><p> </p><p>"Good morning, honey, do you need anything?"</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia wasn't even looking at Triss, her performance as natural as ever.</p><p> </p><p>"I wanted to greet you and take the opportunity to talk to you," the man stood by, but he looked at Triss from the corner of his eye.</p><p> </p><p>"But we have to..." Triss stopped when the chestnut raised a hand.</p><p> </p><p>"Work can wait, Merigold," Tissaia tilted her head to look at the young woman, "I doubt that anything we need to talk about is your business, so if you don't mind...," Tissaia looked up at the door and raised an eyebrow.</p><p> </p><p>The young woman could read between the lines, for the first time, so the small angle at which Tissaia's lips twisted, her pupils having almost completely replaced the pale blue of her eyes, due to the fear that man inflicted on her. Without wanting to make the situation worse, the young woman sighed and nodded, taking some of the papers.</p><p> </p><p>"I hope that doesn't turn into overtime," she murmured, for playing her own role as she left the office seemed like the best choice.</p><p> </p><p>Once out, her eyes rested on two women, a few meters away from the door. They were in front of the door of Vanielle's office, which was open, but the two remained in the hallway, looking towards the office. Triss approached them, feeling her legs tremble as her eyes burning with hot tears; she had fled like a coward abandoning Tissaia to her fate, she was a horrible person. One arm surrounded her waist just as her knees decided to give in, keeping her standing and safe. Lilacs and gooseberries, that perfume was familiar, so Triss looked up until she found beautiful, familiar violet eyes, and then she clung to her friend's body.</p><p> </p><p>"Are you all right? What happened?" Yennefer's voice was as soft as it always was when she spoke to Roach, Geralt's cat, or her girlfriend on the phone, which surprised Triss.</p><p> </p><p>"I..." The young woman shrugged her shoulders, unable to lie, "she has cast me out".</p><p> </p><p>"What? "Annoyed, Yennefer frowned, "that woman is an idiot".</p><p> </p><p>"Yen, don't say that," Triss broke away from her embrace with a pretty stern expression and caused the brunette to look down, guilty, "you don't know her, so you have no right to mess with her or say anything about her," she would have continued to scold her friend had it not been by Vanielle's hand and her warm smile, "don't you dare to insult her again".</p><p> </p><p>"But..." The brunette snorted, "whatever you say, I'm sorry, love".</p><p> </p><p>But Triss didn’t move closer again, which made her realize that she had actually hurt her feelings and she didn't even understand how. Again, the sharp feeling that there was something being overlooked reached the young woman's stomach, but she didn't have time to analyze it as the elevator doors opened and someone ran out of it. Rita's heels rattled rhythmically against the ground as she quickly walked towards them. It was more than obvious that she had come running for some reason, but her expression was so similar to Vanielle's when they had been talking to Vilgefortz that Yennefer daren’t say absolutely nothing.</p><p> </p><p>"The papers..." She managed to say, as she catched her breath, "where are they?"</p><p> </p><p>Confused, Yennefer raised her hand in which she was still holding the folder and watched Rita take it off and set out to run away, had it not been because Vanielle grabbed her by the arm and held her to whisper something in her ear.</p><p> </p><p>"Triss says he kicked her out, and Yen told him she had come to bring the papers".</p><p> </p><p>"Tell him it's because of the overlapping of subjects," Triss said, as if she knew what the problem was.</p><p> </p><p>Rita nodded and walked as fast as she could to the door. Her knuckles hit the surface only once and she waited for no answer before entering the office, closing the door behind her and preventing anyone from outside from seeing anything but Vilgefortz and part of the office.</p><p> </p><p>"What's all this about?" Finally said Yennefer.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm going to get coffee," unable to lie to her friend, Triss practically ran out of the place.</p><p> </p><p>"I guess the complicated life of college professors goes beyond what students think," joked the brunette, then made a broad hand gesture with her arm to invite Yennefer into her office, "but let me use this time alone with you, tell me about yourself".</p><p> </p><p>"There's not much to tell, actually," Yennefer came in and sat on one of the chairs in front of Vanielle's desk, avoiding commenting on the one completely empty on one side, "I'm just a normal girl as many others".</p><p> </p><p>"Let me doubt it, dear," Vanielle smiled a little more, having to bite her tongue so as not to add <em>a 'Tissaia wouldn't fall in love with any girl.'</em></p><p> </p><p>"I mean it, I have nothing that makes me special or different beyond the mutation of my genome that has produced the color of my eyes," due to the intense gaze of the brunette, she couldn't help but make a small summary of her life, "my childhood and adolescence were pretty bad, but everything got better when I went to college and started studying medicine. When I graduated I started working at Thanedd Hospital and in the end ended up here as Rita's assistant. The truth is, I can't complain," Yennefer was starting to like her work, not to mention that if she hadn't come to the university, she would never have met Sky.</p><p> </p><p>"No one had told me that my girlfriend's assistant was so hot," said a voice from the door.</p><p> </p><p>With her arms folded and resting against the door frame was a woman with black hair, collected in two pigtails on the sides of her head, light eyes and pale skin, full of freckles. Among all her features, Yennefer recognized her for the exaggerated neckline she wore, as it was something Triss never forgot to comment on when she talked about Philippa. What surprised Yennefer, however, was the news that she was Rita's girlfriend... Now she'd have something to bother her boss back with.</p><p> </p><p>"Well, my boss's girlfriend doesn't fall behind either," Yennefer replied, with a half smile.</p><p> </p><p>From behind Philippa came a woman with red hair and sweet expression who approached her and reached out.</p><p> </p><p>"I am Coral and the one who flirts even with the stones is Philippa," the woman let out a brief laugh. "Speaking of bosses, where are ours and her assistant?"</p><p> </p><p>Well, definitely Rita had been serious about how beautiful and hot all the teachers were. Was it even legal to have such a gorgeous workforce in one building?</p><p> </p><p>"Triss has gone for coffee, I don't know how many, really, she's gone alone...—Vanielle looked at the wall, in the direction of Tissaia's office, frowning with concern. Still, she tried to make her words sound like a joke, "and Tissaia is dealing with her husband and ex at the same time".</p><p> </p><p>"What? Rita's Tissaia's ex?"</p><p> </p><p>"Oh, honey, we’re going to have to catch up on a hundred gossips," with a laugh and a delighted expression, Philippa sat next to her and took her hands, "I don't even know where to start, how exciting!"</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer was surprised by many reasons, but above all recalling the myriad of times Rita had told her that she spoke like her ex. Did she really speak like Tissaia? It seems Triss was right and I should know Professor De Vries, before I continue to have a formed opinion about it without having...</p><p> </p><p>Someone ran down the aisle, but Yennefer only had time to see her through the corner of her eye. Still, something in that person's figure had been strangely familiar to her, but Philippa didn't seem willing to let her new gossip partner disconnect so easily, as she stuck a finger in her cheek to get her attention.</p><p> </p><p>"Earth to Yennefer, do you copy?"</p><p> </p><p>"Ah... Yes, sorry," the young woman looked at Philippa again, smiling, as Vanielle got up, "what did you say?"</p><p> </p><p>"I was asking you if you could send me Rita's schedule without her knowing, to see when I can come and surprise her," the brunette repeated.</p><p> </p><p>"I don't know if that's very legal, but I suppose I can".</p><p> </p><p>Rita peeked inside the office and looked around, her expression too neutral and tense to be natural and her chest rising and falling heavily. Vanielle approached her and looked to the side of the corridor, where the person had gone a minute ago. Alongside them passed Vilgefortz, who did not hesitate to push Rita with his shoulder, practically throwing her inside the office. Philippa got up, intending to go for a fight, but Coral held her delicately.</p><p>What the hell was going on in that building?</p><p>Whatever it was, it'd have to wait, because Yennefer's phone started vibrating in her pocket and by the time it was, there was only one person who could be calling her.</p><p> </p><p>"Uh... If you excuse me," she murmured, picking up the phone as she left the office, "what have I done to deserve a ray of light like you enlightening my day?"</p><p> </p><p>Although Yennefer had not noticed, being with her back to them in the hallway, both Vanielle and Rita had stared at her and gone silent. Philippa approached her girlfriend to check that she was fine, taking the opportunity to hug her and try to pay attention to the conversation Yennefer was having; they weren’t queens of gossip for nothing.</p><p>However, Yennefer was having no conversation, for Tissaia had come to say absolutely nothing. The young woman knew that could only mean that she was very upset or crying, neither option pleased her. She waited another minute, watching Triss approach her, but no sound came from the other side of the line.</p><p> </p><p>"Tell me where you are," she whispered with as much sweetness as she could, ignoring her friend's intrigued and excited gaze. Yennefer shook her head when Triss raised both eyebrows repeatedly and turned to look at Rita, seeing the watchful gazes of three other women glued on Yennefer. However, Vanielle's eyes and those of the blonde seemed to hide something the younger woman was unable to decipher, "I'm nearby, wait for me there".</p><p> </p><p>"Don't worry, go get her. Take all the time you need. Take the morning off, whatever you need," Margarita didn't even wait for the brunette to ask her, but Yennefer didn't wait for her to change her opinion.</p><p> </p><p>"Thank you, I owe you one," with a faint smile that showed her concern, Yennefer only stopped to kiss Triss' cheek before running away.</p><p> </p><p>"Is anyone going to tell me what happened?" Triss looked in the direction of the office, with clear concern.</p><p> </p><p>"When I came in they were arguing," Rita omitted that Vilgefortz had Tissaia held by her arm, tight enough to make anyone scream, "Vilgefortz told her a rather unpleasant thing, it was a very low attack, and Tissaia has run away".</p><p> </p><p>Vanielle looked at Rita, increasingly worried, but she knew it wasn't time to ask about it.</p><p> </p><p>"Where did she go?" Upset, Triss gave them the cups, ready to go get their boss.</p><p> </p><p>"I don't know, Triss, but wherever she is, she's in good hands," Vanielle gave Philippa her cup and came over to place her hands on the young woman's shoulders, "or at least, in the hands she wants to be in".</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Shooting stars</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry for the delay, as my pc got broken, I could only save some things and the fics weren't one of them (luckily I had sent some of them to a friend so I had them saved there, so here it goes).</p><p>Some answers are given, but more question may appear... And yes, there's more angst and not much fluff, but it will improve eventually, I promise. I'll update soon with a pure fluff chapter that I loved to write tho, so I want just to share it asap.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Yennefer had run out of the physics building, ignoring the glances everyone threw at her. Tissaia's voice had sounded as broken as the night before, when they had talked about Nenneke, so nothing was going to stop the brunette from crossing the whole Continent, if necessary. For her fortune, though, Tissaia was in Tor Lara.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The young woman did not know how Tissaia had ended up there, but it was not something that she could not stop to think at the time —probably her girlfriend was a teacher on a high school that was nearby or even in the same university and they hadn’t seen each other—, it was not really important, not as much as finding her. Since Yennefer had entered the building until the moment she had left, the gentle winter breeze had transformed into a strong air that only heralded a storm, so it was no surprise that the entire campus was empty and that students would have preferred to spend their breaks anywhere quieter and calmer where they could not get wet by the possible rain or not have to worry about flying away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her lungs were burning, but Yennefer did not slow down as she reached the edge of the forest, bending in half and resting her palms on her thighs, while regaining her breath. Tissaia had told her that she was to the northeast, near the creek, which was supposed to be in a straight line advancing from the back of the physics building. Yennefer walked, with her attention set on everything around her; the young woman had never gone that deep into the woods before, but she did not plan to stop until she found Tissaia.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>To Yennefer's luck, the woman sat on a rock on the edge of the creek, silently contemplating the stream for the water leaping between several stones, ran along. It wasn't very big, but it offered a surprisingly beautiful view, especially on days like that one, and, surely, if it wasn't for Tissaia's shoulder tremor, the young woman would have stopped to take a picture of her at that moment. However, Yennefer walked carefully to climb the rock and sat behind the woman, placing her legs on either side of his body and hands on her shoulders, gently. She knew Tissaia hated being seen crying, so the least she could do was offer her the option to keep a minimum of privacy at the time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Although the woman's body tightened at the contact, in less than two seconds her muscles had relaxed and her back was resting against Yennefer's chest, who had ended up surrounding her with her arms and resting her chin on her hair. They remained like this for almost an hour, without speaking and without moving, except for the occasional tremor in Tissaia's body, since she had no more tears left to shed. Eventually, the chestnut turned a little in the embrace, until it was her cheek that was resting on Yennefer's chest, her eyes were closed and her lips clenched in a thin line.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The old legends say that shooting stars are the tears of heaven, does that mean there will be a star shower tonight?" The brunette smiled and put her lips on the woman’s forehead, leaving a long kiss on it. She knew she'd have to do better if she  wanted to steal a smile from her girlfriend, so she started to gently draw the line of her jaw as she thought, "though considering your eyes look like the ocean, you may have decided to return some of the water that belongs to mortals and we appreciate it".</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tissaia bowed her head slightly and looked at her silently. Yennefer knew that look literally said </span>
  <em>
    <span>"you're an idiot,"</span>
  </em>
  <span> so she smiled and winked at her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"On behalf of the humans, I thank you for the gesture, O goddess of great beauty and small size," the young woman tried to stay serious, but the slight pressure of Tissaia's head against her chest made her laugh, "what? I didn't say anything that's a lie, you're beautiful and short".</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Some would say I'm the perfect height," the woman protested, her voice sounded hoarse and strangled, but it was better than nothing, so Yennefer widened her smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, I'm going to need proof of that, what a pity," she leaned over to leave a kiss on her nose.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tissaia kept quiet and closed her eyes again, settling in her arms. It was a couple of minutes before she talked again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Do you remember what I told you last night?" She whispered and Yennefer nodded, "my husband apparently didn't know about Nenneke. It is not as if I talked much to him, anyway," the young woman's arms slightly squeezed the grip, mixing an apology with some possessiveness; at that point she hated him and how bad he made her girlfriend feel. But Tissaia kept talking, taking shelter in the hug, "he's a neurosurgeon too and he's pissed with me because I hadn't even told him Nenneke had a tumor. As if it was his fucking problem," Yennefer tried to hide her surprise, for it was the first time she heard Tissaia cursing, but it wasn’t to moment, so she let it go.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He's an asshole, are you sure you don't want to give me your address so I can go burn his car or kick him in the crotch?" Yennefer kissed her forehead again, hoping she hadn't made the woman feel bad. The last time she had said something like that, Tissaia had panicked and had stopped talking to her for a whole day, until Yennefer had apologized and promised to stay away from her husband.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Apparently, doctor-patient confidentiality isn't worth shit in the Brotherhood. Nenneke told Artorius that she did not intend to let anyone but me touch her..." Just in case Tissaia hastened to clarify, "Art is his regular doctor and one of the three most important men in the Brotherhood, he leads the Chapter… You probably have read some of his works, his surname is Viggo".</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yennefer could see where the story was headed and she didn't like it at all, so she started stroking some strands of brown hair to reassure herself. Also, wasn’t Viggo the surname of Vilgefortz assistant too? That would explain why Vanielle spoke of nepotism before. What she was still shocked about, though, was the fact that Vilgefortz was cheating on his wife and had the audacity to pretend he cared enough for her to go and visit her. Tissaia didn't seem to mind if Yennefer played with each and every one of her locks when she was nervous, so the young woman concluded that she also liked that kind of contact.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He was furious that someone like me stole an opportunity like that from him," she murmured.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Yennefer could only think of what kind of idiot could take for a fact that he would be offered the opportunity to operate on someone as important as a duchess, when renowned people like creepy Vilgefortz were available. However, she continued to walk through each lock with her fingers, making sure to store each pin she removed, while being unable to connect the, so clear, dots. Her neuronal capacity was so limited when she was with Tissaia, it was almost ridiculous.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So he said that someone who wasn't even able to take care of a wounded teenager and make sure she didn't die wouldn’t..." Tissaia stopped, the knot of her throat preventing her from talking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yennefer said nothing, but her heart was beating hard and her blood was boiling at the time. How dared him? How could he have the guts to even mention something so hard for Tissaia? Even more so to throw in her face something that wasn't her fault. The brunette bowed her head forward and kissed her on the lips, trying to tell her with that kiss all that she had no words to express. She didn't know whether to apologize, insult her husband, hit the rock or hug her with all her strength, so kissing her was the only thing that made sense in her mind. That fucking man was psychologically abusing her, of that she was sure.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tissaia took a hand up to her neck to keep her close and deepen the kiss, opening her lips in a more than obvious invitation. That was a new method of deflecting conversations that only took effect with Yennefer, for obvious reasons; but in that case, she couldn't be blamed for starting to deflect, could she?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Yennefer leaned back to breathe, her chest rose and went down fast and her lips were red and swollen, but her forehead ended up leaning over Tissaia's and her eyes closed. The other woman, however, looked at her girlfriend's face and stroked her neck with her fingernails, distractedly. Her words were little more than whispers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That girl wasn't the only one who died because of me. My niece, Ciri's mother, Pavetta, also died because of me," the tears rolled back down her cheeks, "what if Nenneke dies because of me, too? I can’t lose her, I can’t let anyone else".</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Eist told me it was a car accident," Yennefer frowned and opened her eyes to look at the woman. Would she have had to operate on her own niece? How did anyone allow her to do that? It was legal, yes, but it was too hard and could compromise even the best doctor. People didn’t just operate on their families. "And we talked about Nenneke, my love, it won’t ever be your fault".</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What if someone provoked the accident because of me?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At that point, Yennefer didn't know if her blood was boiling or frozen. What did she mean? Had they tried to kill her? Was she into mafia stuff? Was Calanthe a mobster? Yennefer had to gather all her willpower to focus and not start to shoot all those questions.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"My beautiful Sky," the brunette stopped hugging Tissaia solely to bring her hands to the woman's cheeks and hold them carefully, as she forced her to look her in the eye, "anyone who thinks of hurting you is a fucking psychopath who's not well in the head. Something like that would never be your fault. So don't blame yourself for things beyond your control, you don't deserve it and I am sure you didn’t cut the brakes or put a bomb on the car. As for Nenneke, her life will soon end because of her illness and as far as I know you don't know how to cause tumors, do you? If she dies on your operating table, it won't be your fault either because you'll only be struggling to give her a chance. She trusts you and she knows only you can be the person saving her life a second time. I know she thinks that it’s okay if she dies at your table, as long as it is yours and not some stranger’s".</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I love you," Tissaia murmured, deflecting the conversation again and leaning forward to kiss Yennefer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I love you too," the brunette whispered against her lips, "but there's something I need to know, are you from the mafia?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yennefer had sounded so serious in asking the question that all Tissaia could do was to laugh. The mixture of stress and anxiety accumulated in her body was suddenly released with that question, ridiculous in her opinion, so not even the confused gaze of the young woman could prevent the chestnut from keep laughing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey... Don't laugh, it was just to check if I was fulfilling another one of my fantasies," Yennefer composed a pout.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And I thought teachers were your thing," Tissaia couldn’t stop, now down on her knees in front of the other woman, and with her hands resting on her shoulders.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Mhm, actually, you are my thing, so that gives me a wide range of possibilities".</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yennefer bent over to kiss his girlfriend's cheek, resting a hand on his thigh, and frowned upon realizing that it was warm and wet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Where did you leave your crutches?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't know," she acknowledged the chestnut, "why?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Did you run out in heels from somewhere to here, with your leg wounded?" Yennefer's gaze was worthy of an offended doctor, "then it’s normal for the stitches to be open".</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What?" Tissaia looked down to her leg, then seeing the way the fabric in her pants stuck to her leg, "shit, shit, shit".</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Wow," the brunette blinked, worried, and excited in equal parts, there were a lot of things she needed to say at the time, "wow…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yennefer looked Tissaia in the eye, blushing at the way she raised both eyebrows and rolled her eyes when realizing the reason for her lack of words. What was Yennefer's fault that the image of the chestnut cursing just left her reduced to a living being who could only breathe when she was remembered to do so? With a sigh, the brunette closed her eyes when the woman's lips rested on hers and she had to contain a gasp when she bit her lower lip and slowly pulled from it. Seconds later, Tissaia's lips were rubbing her ear as she whispered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't tell me that a single word has so easily defeated you, Piglet," Tissaia was surprised by the effect of something like that on the brunette, but she wouldn't deny that she was fascinated and amused equally, so she had no choice but to exploit that new information. Using that kind of language had always been quite uncomfortable to her, but if she did it once, nothing would happen, would it? "What will you do when you manage to get me to bed without being interrupted and I’d start saying much worse things?" She bit down on the young woman's earlobe and tugged gently, "fuck Yennefer," she hadn't even finished pronouncing her name when the moan left the young woman's throat, making Tissaia smile. But that wasn't the only thing, because the fingers of Yennefer's hand that wasn't on the wounded leg were sinking on Tissaia's thigh unconsciously and, at that point, the woman was very clear about what that meant. "Hm, Yen, don't tell me the idea of fucking me against a tree in the middle of the forest is turning you on..." Tissaia hadn’t expected her voice to sound so seductive and suggestive as it did.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This time, the brunette didn't even try to disguise the sound she made when she exhaled, then forgetting to take a breath. Tissaia was enjoying the situation more than she had expected and, despite what had happened just over an hour ago, she was willing to let Yennefer do absolutely everything she wanted, even if that made her see the recent finger marks on her thigh and arms. Nobody would go to the forest at that hour and with the awful weather. However, while Yennefer nodded, unable to answer, Tissaia's phone began to ring. They stared at each other, clearly angry and annoyed. Obviously, they were going to be interrupted when they both were turned on and almost about to do something to fix it. With an exasperated growl, the brunette regained some of her abilities and closed her eyes to rest her forehead on the opposite's shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Whoever it is, I want you to know that I hate them, and the next time we meet, I'm going to turn off our phones and throw them through the window," Yennefer was breathing heavily, but she was completely serious.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'll make it up to you, I promise," Tissaia used her nearest arm to surround Yennefer and caress her hair, kissing her cheek at once, in an attempt to help her calm down. Then she used her free hand to get the phone from her jacket and pick it up, taking it to the opposite ear, "tell me sweetie".</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Are you alright? What happened? Rita told me to leave you for a while, but I was too worried and... I'm sorry," Triss was whispering at such speed that if it hadn't been for Tissaia's practice, she wouldn't have been able to understand her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm fine, I've only argued with him, and I needed a moment of peace and quiet," Tissaia looked back at Yennefer, who was just taking a deep breaths and trying to think of anything other than the heat she felt, despite the strong and cold wind, "everything's fine now, there's nothing a couple of bad jokes can't fix," the chestnut kissed the young woman's cheek again, making Yennefer smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, are you with her? Did I interrupt you?" Triss was more excited for the situation than Tissaia herself, "wait, you called her to go look after you like in a romantic movie? That’s so cuteeee! Then I'll leave you! I just wanted to know if you were okay! And if you are with her, obviously you are! I'll take care of the classes! Have a good time! I love you!" Triss didn't even wait for an answer before hanging up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tissaia let out a little laugh disguised in a snort that became more audible when the brunette carefully bit her shoulder just to provoke her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You’d like her, she’s incorrigible too, but I refuse to let you hate her. She's like a daughter to me, so don't even think about doing so," a third kiss on Yennefer’s cheek and the younger woman threw her head back, still blushing and frowning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Do I have a stepdaughter then?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You'll have to discuss that with her when I introduce you two... She’s one year older than you, though. But since you're going to introduce me to your friends, the least I can do is the same thing, but only if you want to".</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"If they’re like your sister, I think I'm going to have a great time".</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Nobody's like Calanthe, but I think you'd get along with all of them".</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Touché," Yennefer softly kissed the woman, "just tell me when".</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sunday afternoon? We could stay for dinner..." The tip of Tissaia's tongue got trapped between her lips as she thought, something that in Yennefer's eyes was most adorable and sexy. If they did so, she could take advantage to force Triss to bring Sabrina in and get to know her at once, Philippa and Rita would have their dose of gossip and poor Keira would keep up with everything... In addition, Vilgefortz was leaving on Friday again and would not return until the next Tuesday.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Dinner seems perfect to me, I hope they like me," especially considering that she was Tissaia's lover and that she did not know how that extramarital relationship would be taken.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"My friends love you, so will their partners, too, calm down".</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Wait," Yennefer's eyes went wide open with surprise, "have you told them about me?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Of course, I have... I haven't told them yet that we're using the girlfriend word officially because we've had two horrible weeks and all of us have been up to work, but they know everything else".</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Everything… Everything?" The young woman raised both eyebrows, even more surprised.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Only my two best friends know about Cal's office".</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You’ve told them about that?!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I’ m used to telling them everything, though the only two who want all the details are Cal and mom. Didn't you tell Brina and Jaskier?" Tissaia raised an eyebrow, trying to hide her smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well... yes, but..."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"But you didn't expect it to be so important to me that I would have told the most important people in my life?" Tissaia offered, able to guess that. She herself thought the brunette would have done the same thing about her. When Yennefer nodded, Tissaia wrapped her neck with her arms, resting her forehead on the woman’s. "Yennefer, my blue star, what I told you a month ago at the observatory was serious, you're much more than an affair to me. Besides, I want everything with you too," Tissaia's blue eyes stared at the other woman's violet ones. "I love you like I've never loved anyone before and you're the most special person I've ever met. And if it wasn't for my husband, after our first night in Cintra I would have dragged you into the office, fucked you and then introduced you to my family".</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I love you too," Yennefer smiled, blushed and unable to say anything else. "I'm glad I lived long enough to meet you".</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tissaia tilted her head, but she did not ask the question that haunted her mind, but which the young woman answered it anyway.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"When I was sixteen I tried to kill myself," the violet orbs had ended up fixed in Tissaia's black pants, "but someone found me and took me to the hospital. A woman saved my life there, a doctor, she told me that I still had many things to fight for, that I had so much left to give..." Yennefer blinked to get rid of some tears, aware that the chestnut was watching her. "I hardly remember anything about that day, but her words were etched in my head. Since then I have only lived in the hope that someday she would be proud of who I became, even if we didn’t meet again," Yennefer smiled sadly and bit her lip, "she told me to fight to show the world that they were wrong about me, that although sometimes a flower was just a flower and the best thing it could do for us was to die, I was much more than one of those flowers," perhaps, if the brunette had raised her head, she would have seen the expression of pain and confusion of Tissaia's face. "Since that day I am indebted to her... I studied medicine in the hope of being like her, of being able to help others, to become important to someone, but I guess I'll never do it after what happened," the young woman sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yennefer, let me see your forearms," Tissaia's voice sounded incredibly calm and neutral, something that only happened when her emotions surpassed her and she needed to put them aside. The possibility was remote, in fact, it wasn't even a possibility, but what Yennefer had said was simply too familiar and felt like someone digging their finger on an old open wound.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The young woman, unable to deny her anything, pulled the sleeves of the jumper up to her elbows and extended both forearms towards her. She did not move when Tissaia backed out or when her shaky fingers glided over the pale, almost invisible scars that adorned that area of her body. When it came to her girlfriend, Yennefer felt comfortable sharing things from her past, being vulnerable. So, however difficult it may be, the brunette ended up taking her gaze to the other woman's face, frowning with confusion at the sight of some tears falling down her cheeks; she knew it wasn’t something easy, but she didn’t understand at all the way the woman was analyzing the scars. Tissaia had her eyes stuck in her forearms and her hand kept shaking as she scoured the scars, over and over again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In complete silence, the chestnut changed her posture to unbutton her pants and lower them to half-thigh height. She then began to release the bandage surrounding the wound of her leg, keeping the clothe only removed in the wound area, trying to keep the rest of her thigh covered. Carefully, one of her hands holding the bandage, she used the other to remove some of the blood covering the top of the wound. The stitches were perfect, and the area was much better in the upper part than at the bottom. Rita was a great surgeon, but a millimeter could make a difference in something like that and Tissaia’s precision was scary. As much as the chestnut felt her limbs asleep and colder, the way half her wound had been sewn and that used for the youngest's forearms was exactly the same, which could only mean one thing. Tissaia did not trust her mind, her voice or anything but the scientific facts at the time, so if Yennefer saw what she was seeing... But it couldn't be, it was impossible. And despite that, she whispered the first thing that came to her mind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Forget the bottle..."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Let your chaos explode," both whispered at once. Although Tissaia's voice broke when she said that sentence and she was unable to look Yennefer in the eye, she could tell the exact moment when the young woman was just tying all the dots in her head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You... You saved me," Yennefer's eyes were wide open and shining with fresh tears, this time of joy, as long as a smile drawn on her lips, "I’d never forget that".</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tissaia put the bandage back on avoiding Yennefer’s eyes and pulled up her pants, before the young woman could see something she shouldn't have. She then sat on the rock without looking at her, silently. The only time Tissaia had treated wounds like those, her patient had died because of her. She had seen the report, Vilgefortz had given it to her before making it disappear and starting blackmailing her, the stretcher was full of blood,  the nurse had told her that the patient was no longer with them and that she would not return…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yennefer, on the other hand, was absolutely certain that Tissaia had been the person who had saved her eleven years ago, who had shown her that her life was not meant to end as soon as she had tried to provoke it. Tissaia had given her a purpose in life and made her who she was, and Yennefer was incredibly happy to have found her, so that she could thank her as she deserved. Tissaia was definitely destined to her, she saved her life in the past and now she was illuminating her days. But why did the chestnut seem so disturbed?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Love, what's going on?" Yennefer placed a hand on the woman's cheek, but he couldn't get her to look at her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It... It can't be," she muttered, "my patient died. She was an unidentified sixteen-year-old girl who had been beaten, she had a hunched spine and she had cut her veins. I sewed her, treated her wounds and she died because I made a mistake".</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What?" Yennefer frowned and opened her mouth as she recalled what Tissaia had told her two weeks ago. She said a patient had died because she had made a mistake, but she couldn't be talking about her, because she was alive, right? "They’ve always beaten me, from kinder to high school. They always found a reason to laugh at me, play jokes on me or beat me, even sometimes they would also attack Brina for trying to defend me. I was a hunched girl, they even called me monster," the brunette began to caress Tissaia's cheek tenderly, while she was still looking for her gaze. "That week my classmates had discovered that I was a lesbian, even today I don't know how, but they thought that it was a good reason to beat me up again. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Show the monster why she’ll never get to be a normal person,’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>they said... They threw me down the stairs and the fall caused two vertebrae to fracture. I wasn't totally conscious, but I know that when they took me to the O.R. you weren't with me... I know you were always with me, even if I couldn't open my eyes or speak, I know you spent the first two days with me. They had to operate on me urgently and they fixed the deformation of the spine because it bothered them to manage the other injuries... I thought you'd know, but when I woke up they told me you were busy with other patients, I never thought that..." Tissaia finally looked at her again, her eyes bright with the few tears that were left at that point, "when I totally woke up, my asshole stepfather was there. I don't know why, but he didn't seem angry about having to pay my medical bills or for what I had done, it was very strange... It was the first time he didn’t bother to yell at me or hit me".</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The chestnut bent towards her, unable to keep looking at her or to say anything to comfort her, for she could not even comfort herself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Apparently trying to kill yourself in the bathroom of a coffee shop is not the smartest thing, my wallet stayed there and with it, did my ID… But a great woman once told me that some flowers are not made to die," that phrase got Tissaia to look at her again, her lips squeezed in a thin line, "besides, there's nothing uglier than a pretty girl crying, right?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Another great woman said to me," Tissaia murmured with a thread of voice, trying her best, "that some girls leave the stars in a bad place even crying".</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yennefer laughed and sought Tissaia's lips much more tenderly than she had thought possible, kissing them as if the woman in her arms was going to disappear from one moment to the next.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You should listen more often to that woman, she's very right about how beautiful her girlfriend is," Tissaia rolled her eyes with that comment, but she didn't have the strength to argue with her, "thank you very much for saving my life so I can have a wonderful girlfriend right now," Yennefer smiled and kissed her cheek, "and for teaching me to distinguish between taking control and losing it, and for giving me the opportunity to become who I am, and also for giving me the opportunity to really get to know you. When you told me I was lucky you were in the right place at the right time, I thought it was silly, but over time I realized that if it hadn't been for you, because of what you did for me, for what you told me and the way you treated me with when I needed it most, I wouldn't be where I am. Though, maybe the two hours speech scolding me for trying to kill myself was a bit too much," Yennefer's lips would have rested on the woman's forehead again, "but now, seriously, if you weren't always in the right place and time, we wouldn't have met again and my life would be less bright and happy".</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tissaia's first sob took her by surprise, but by the time the second came, she had already surrounded her with both arms and held her tightly between them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm alive and I'm fine, I don't know why you thought I was dead, but I am here with you," cradling the woman in her arms, Yennefer closed her eyes and breathed her scent, smiling at the mixture of vanilla and oak. "You're not going to get rid of me that easy, my precious star".</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Despite the thousand of questions Yennefer had, she knew that was not the time to ask more of them, so she would stay hugging the woman in her arms until she calmed down and then took her to the nearest road so she could take a taxi home. Yennefer knew that the chestnut could take care of her own wound and that she had what was necessary at home —for fuck’s shake, she had just realized that woman had tried to sew herself, was she crazy?—; Yennefer was also sure that she would not let her accompany her home just in case he there, and Cintra was discarded, because Calanthe would kill her if she saw that Tissaia had cried —and then she’d call Nenneke and she’d be definitely dead, for she’d do her duchess thing. Part of her wanted to take her home and take care of her for as long as necessary, but that would be too suspicious and the last thing she wanted was to provoke a second argument between the chestnut and her husband. How would she know that the previous fight between the couple would be the beginning of the end?</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>And yes, Yen was indeed Tissaia's /dead/ girl AND Tissaia was the one saving Yennefer, so you were pretty fast making that out.</p><p>So, since you haven't comment on the other plot twist already, I'm making the guess that I'm hiding it better than this one *insert evil laugh and a lot of hearts*</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Stitches</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Here it goes, as promised.</p><p>I really love the dynamics between Calanthe and Tissaia, so I hope you enjoy the chapter for it is almost comfort &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Good morning," whispered the dark-haired woman, without giving her interlocutor a chance to respond, "I've found her, and I've already sent you all her details".</p><p> </p><p>"Well," the voice on the other side belonged to another woman, even though she didn't bother whispering, "what can you tell me about what happened two weeks ago?"</p><p> </p><p>"The official version is that Tissaia went for a run through the woods and tripped, but I don't think that woman is capable of tripping," the brunette murmured, looking everywhere before continuing, "she had some marks on her wrist, I saw them when her shirt went up, they were finger marks. Besides, this morning Vilgefortz went to her office. They have argued and, apparently, he has hinted that several people have died because of her, I did not want to ask any more. She ran away".</p><p> </p><p>"I understand. Find out everything you can about those deaths," the woman sighed. "I really appreciate what you're doing, it must be hard to lie to someone you care about".</p><p> </p><p>"A deal is a deal".</p><p> </p><p>"Your part is more than fulfilled," the person on the other side smiled, "even if you try to hide it, I can tell that you've become emotionally involved, so after finding out what I asked, you'd better cut ties".</p><p> </p><p>"Yes, ma'am. Goodbye, ma'am," with a shaky hand, she hung up and kept the phone back in her pocket, hissing as something sharp punctured her hand she put it in. Then, she leaned against the bathroom wall and let herself slip to the ground. Betraying Rita’s and Tissaia's trust in that way was killing her.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>When Yennefer returned to Rita's office three hours after running out to find Tissaia, she did not expect to find the blonde there, however, the woman was circling back and forth around the office, while Vanielle kept passing the pages of a book, paying no real attention to it. However, the blonde stopped when she saw the door moving and Yennefer entering the room, the worry was painted all over her face.</p><p> </p><p>"Are you alright? What happened?"</p><p> </p><p>Despite Margarita's question, the young woman had the feeling that it was not for her that she was really asking, if not for Sky  and whatever had happened. By this time she had forgotten that her hand and sleeve kept traces of blood, her makeup was somewhat ruined by having been crying and her body icy from the cold of the wind that had not stopped for a single moment. Yennefer merely nodded, but the concern of the two women only increased, Vanielle even discarded the book aside. Yennefer sighed and tried to answer without giving many details.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm fine, everything's fine, calm down," she tried to smile at them, and went to her desk to sit and hug herself, looking for some warmth.</p><p> </p><p>"Since when does hypothermia include being okay, dear?" Vanielle had taken off her coat and got up to approach the brunette and offer it to her. "You're shaking and we’ve been outside, the cold isn’t nothing".</p><p> </p><p>"Thank you, Professor," Yennefer smiled a little more and accepted the coat, too cold to even think about refusing. She tilted her head in confusion when she saw the panic reflected in the woman's face. She may have only known her since that morning, but it was clear that Vanielle's face was only made to smile, "what's wrong?"</p><p> </p><p>"You have blood... W-what happened?"</p><p> </p><p>Rita approached them, circling her friend's shoulders in an attempt to help her maintain composure. While the assistant had no idea why Vanielle was so upset and worried about her well-being or what had happened, the idea that someone who hardly knew her was worrying that way about her was strange and warm.</p><p> </p><p>"A person I know had an accident two weeks ago, a wound in the leg, but today she had a problem and her stitches opened," she explained, without giving too many details, "but  that's fine, she must be about to get home and she told me she would take care of it".</p><p> </p><p>"Are you sure you don't want to go with her or something?" Rita gently squeezed the grip on Vanielle to prevent her from saying anything too revealing, although at the time both were willing to call her friend and yell at her, if necessary.</p><p> </p><p>"Yes, don't worry, you know I can't go anyway," the young woman sank into the chair, even though it was clear that she too was worried.</p><p> </p><p>"You can trust Vanielle, she's one of the two people I tell absolutely everything to and she's never said anything," the blonde sat on the young lady's desk, "anyway, if you need to go home, that's fine, I can take care of correcting the papers".</p><p> </p><p>"No, it's okay, I don't want to think too much," when Vanielle sat down in one of the chairs, Yennefer knew it was an invitation for her to vent. The teacher's face was kind and warm again, all the concern delegated to her eyes. "It's a long story".</p><p> </p><p>"I don't have any more classes today," Vanielle confessed, for that was the only reason she ended up in Rita's office, walking like a hysterical and trying to get busy while Keira was still working and Tissaia missing. Triss had called them to tell them that Tissaia was fine, but after what the blonde had told her, she deeply doubted that her friend could be okay.</p><p> </p><p>"Neither do I, so I'm going to get three cups of coffee," Margarita got up and left the office.</p><p> </p><p>"Am I crazy or is everyone running away from me today using coffee as an excuse?"</p><p> </p><p>"Oh, don't blame little Triss. Rita told me you know her, so I guess you know how hard it is for her to lie to someone," Vanielle smiled fondly when talking about the young woman, "she was just trying to avoid doing it with you. And Rita... Well, she's been pretty upset since what's happened before in the physics building, don’t be hard on her".</p><p> </p><p>"But she seemed fine... Well, worried, but fine" The younger woman frowned, she didn't understand anything.</p><p> </p><p>"When it comes to Tissaia, nothing is what it looks like with Rita".</p><p> </p><p>"Is it because she's her ex?"</p><p> </p><p>"Not at all. They were dating for four years yes, but then they realized that they really only loved each other as friends, nothing romantic or sexual. Though thinking about Tissaia’s family, I am sure that everything’s always sexual..." Vanielle did her best to try and relax the tension a little, "look, they're both incredibly stunning," the brunette smiled, "I'm proud to be able to say that our bond is very strong. But on top of that, Rita's parents kicked her out of the house when she started college because they were super narrow-minded. Rita and Tissaia both started medicine that year and became friends on the first day… Where I want to go is to the fact that Tissaia offered to share her room at the residence with her, even if she only had one bed, before Rita even told her that her parents had kicked her out... She is so perceptive with the details that she can be scary sometimes. She also helped her find work and save enough to keep paying for college," Vanielle rested her arms on the desk, her loving smile never leaving her face. "That's when Rita started working in my family's store almost every day and when we went out, we would always go to Cintra for free drinks," she joked, not realizing what she said. Fortunately, Yennefer had also not realized, too curious and immersed in the story. "Rita still thinks she's indebted to us and that she has to take care of us, she's incapable of seeing that we think of her as a sister and that we would do anything, one and a thousand times, for her… So if Tissaia is even nervous, Rita would be a hundred times more anxious, now that she’s hurt… Well, we both are worried about her. I’m just telling you all this to ask you to be easy on her, she deserves the whole world and she may not seem worried, but she is''.</p><p> </p><p>Someone sniffed through her nose noisily at the door, drawing the attention of the two brunettes.</p><p> </p><p>"I feel very attacked right now," the blonde whispered with a thread of voice, turning her back to try to dry her face, though she couldn't do it because she was carrying all three cups of coffee in her hands.</p><p> </p><p>"But love..." Vanielle got up, walked towards her and took the cups to leave them on the table, then she walked back to Rita and hugged her from behind, tightly, "we are family and we'll always be together, no matter what. Always and forever, Ri," she whispered the last sentence and left a kiss on the woman's shoulder, waiting until she nodded and dried a couple of treacherous tears, then Vanielle let go of her and went back to the chair she had been occupying. "I've known Tissaia since she was born, our mothers were friends and we always get along very well... So when something like today happens, we both end up pretty worried," Vanielle took the brown cup, which had a message too positive to be read aloud, and surrounded it with both hands, "but as you can see, the super flirty and tough diva is actually a cute softie, so, sometimes, it's better to give her some space and hugs".</p><p> </p><p>"I'd like to know why we ended up talking about this," Rita was mostly recomposed, so she took a seat in the free chair in front of Yennefer and took her own cup to her lips, while pretending to be offended.</p><p> </p><p>"You ran for coffee and Triss did the same thing when I said something she didn't like and then asked her what was going on," she explained, matter-of-factly in a very Tissaia’s way, even if it was a rhetorical question.</p><p> </p><p>"Oh, I'm sorry, I just thought you'd like a hot cup of coffee," the blonde smiled, though after what Vanielle had told, it was clear that this wasn't the only reason. "Anyway, one secret for another, tell me what you've done to your girlfriend, so her stitches got opened," the suggestive way Rita raised her eyebrows and smiled, looking at Yennefer, caused the brunette to blush and look down.</p><p> </p><p>"No... We haven't done any of that... I mean, we were going to do it, but someone called Sky on the phone and, well," she shrugged, not knowing why she was telling them that.</p><p> </p><p>"Sky?" Vanielle tilted her head curiously, when her friend had told her that Tissaia and Yennefer had no idea who the other one really was, she had said it completely seriously, but she had never imagined that the girl would not even know the chestnut's name. Anyway, it was kind of funny to know Triss call made them unable to have sex and flustered… If Tissaia was in ‘sex mood’, she may be better than they’d thought.</p><p> </p><p>"Yup, my girlfriend," Yennefer smiled fondly, the way only one person helplessly in love smiled.</p><p> </p><p>"Your girlfriend?" Vanielle repeated in shock, then looked at Rita while thinking she was going to kill Tissaia. "I mean, congratulations".</p><p> </p><p>"Thank you, I think... Although it's complicated," finally, Yennefer also took a sip from her cup of coffee. It was black and had drawn two stars in it, one blue and one violet, close to each other, but without touching, "she argued with her…" Yennefer looked at Vanielle, but then looked down, completely embarrassed to say that aloud in front of someone she barely knew. However, Vanielle reached out to let her hand on the young woman's, reassuring her, "her husband, and ran out, in heels, to Tor Lara. So, the weird thing would be that the stitches hadn't opened..." With a sigh and just one hand, she took the coffee to her lips and gave it another sip.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm surprised you didn't take her to the hospital or something, if she was bleeding maybe it was serious," Vanielle whispered, despite knowing why she probably hadn't.</p><p> </p><p>"Oh, if I had to entrust a suture to someone, it would be her," Yennefer's lips curved, so she drank again to hide her new smile.</p><p> </p><p>"And I thought you'd entrust that suture to the doctor you told me about," Rita sounded sincerely surprised, even being aware of Tissaia's sewing skills.</p><p> </p><p>However, Yennefer shrugged silently, not prepared to talk about it with anyone. At least not until she found out why Tissaia had been so convinced that she was dead. Maybe a communication error between the nurses and her girlfriend? A paperwork failure?</p><p> </p><p>"Either way, I hope your girlfriend is all right, Yennefer," Vanielle smiled again, making the young woman feel much better just with it, "but please take care of yourself too. I'm going to see if I can give Triss a hand with her work, I don't think Tissaia's coming back today".</p><p> </p><p>"Yes, ma'am," the young woman nodded and took off the coat to give it back to her. "I hope your friend is well too... Which reminds me that I should call Triss later and apologize again".</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer didn't understand the ironic smile that was drawn on Rita's lips when she said that, but it didn't matter to her. If she wanted to have some free time over the weekend, it would be best if they started to get ahead of work; after all, she had dinner to organize that Saturday and another one on Sunday.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>"Kiddo?" Calanthe's voice was extremely soft.</p><p> </p><p>Vanielle knew better than anyone how good Tissaia was by hiding her emotions and lying. For her it was obvious just for the way Yennefer had said they had said goodbye that Tissaia wasn’t going to go straight home… Well, not that she was very straight, but it wasn’t the important matter. So, after spending a couple of hours helping Triss with her friend's work, so that it would not accumulate and overwhelm the two women, she had decided to send Calanthe to find Tissaia and make sure she was okay. It was clear that she had been able to deceive Yennefer and had made her believe that she would go home and get into bed to rest and warm up, doubting that the young woman would have let her go if she had not. For that reason, warning Calanthe that her sister wasn’t feeling good seemed the only viable option at the time; she knew her better than anyone and there was only one place where she could find her if the situation was that bad.</p><p>Calanthe advanced carefully, crouching her head so as not to hit herself with the sloping roof of the attic, and forced her eyes to adapt to the low light coming through a partially covered window. The floor at her feet creaked when she sat on the ground, next to Tissaia's shrunken body. In addition to the dust and the <em> closed </em>smell, a slight scent of iron and blood, which worried the woman, was also noticeable. If the chestnut had gone to her mother's house, on the outskirts of town, and locked herself in the attic, something was really wrong. Adalia wasn't home, so the possibility that she had only visited was more than ruled out; albeit they would have to stay for dinner once she discovered them there. </p><p>Since Tissaia was little she had had a tendency to isolate herself so as not to let anyone be affected by her feelings or how they made her feel, but Calanthe had instantly realized and made her way through the walls surrounding her sister's heart, being the only person who could reach her when a situation surpassed her in every way. She had always been the one who took Tissaia out of the attic, which taught her that she should not worry because no one was going to kick her out of the house, stop loving her, or blaming her for Pavetta's death.</p><p>Calanthe was thirteen when Adalia came home carrying a baby in her arms —skipping the whole pregnancy period— and from the first moment those deep blue eyes looked directly at her soul, she knew she would do anything to protect that creature. Tissaia turned out to be a quiet, intelligent and reserved girl, she did not play with the other kids, but was very social with grownups, she learned to read and write at a very young age and seemed to absorb all the knowledge and information around her, as if she was a sponge with unlimited capacity. Both Adalia, her husband and Calanthe knew the girl was a genius, so they always did their best to develop all her talents, even if it meant having to change her from school twice, because the other children made fun of her intelligence in very cruel ways. Every time the brunette found the six-year-old crying in the attic because a book had been tore apart, her blood boiled and she had to restrain herself so as not to go find those stupid children and hang them from a tree; instead, she just hugged her, cradled her and sometimes told her funny stories.</p><p>Even when Pavetta was born —Tissaia was only six years older than her niece— and Calanthe held the little girl in her arms, her overprotective instinct was still centered on her sister. Pavetta never seemed as fragile as Tissaia —which didn't stop Calanthe from behaving like an aggressive lioness willing to do anything for her cub— so the woman was confident that her daughter could handle anything, because she had her blood and one day she would become the Lioness of Cintra. Instead, the little skylark always had her wings tied, but if Calanthe had anything to say about it, no one was going to stop her from flying and she would be supporting and guiding her forever. No one was ever going to separate them. No one would take her off, as her daughter had been taken away.</p><p>As always, Calanthe gave Tissaia a few minutes to get used to her presence, because when she locked herself in, she found it hard to perceive the people around her and scaring her wouldn't help. She could see her body shaking in the gloom and as much as her heart shattered when she saw her so broken, she knew she had to wait a little before wrapping her in a hug, but when she did, she hugged her tightly. Tissaia's body easily adapted to the position, until it was completely glued and sheltered against her sister's; her eyes were closed and her cheeks did not shed tears, which only meant that she had spent so much time crying that she had none left.</p><p> </p><p>"Cruel and cold, like winds in the sea, will you ever return to me?" The melody left Calanthe's lips in a soft, perfectly tuned pitch, "hear my voice, sing with the tide, my love will never die," she kissed brown hair and continued. "Over waves and deep in the blue, I will give up my heart for you".</p><p> </p><p>A faint smile appeared on Calanthe's lips as she noticed Tissaia gradually relaxing and giving up control of the situation. Her arms never loosened the grip and her hands had begun to caress the younger one's back and hair. As harsh and insensitive as the youngest might seem, Calanthe had never met anyone with such a need to receive love; but she was always willing to give her as much as she wanted. By the time she finished repeating the entire song a second time, Tissaia had stopped crying and was curled up in her arms, listening to the brunette's heartbeat with her eyes closed.</p><p> </p><p>"Vanielle was very worried, although she did not tell me why," in fact, while the teacher had told her that they had to speak as soon as possible two weeks ago, neither had found the right time to do so and it didn’t look like something to be spoken by phone.</p><p> </p><p>"She shouldn't have disturbed you," Tissaia whispered in response.</p><p> </p><p>"Don't say that, you know she and Rita care as much as I do about you," she said. "And you're silly if you think it bothers me to have to come home and check on you, just to make sure you're okay and I don't have to plan any murders".</p><p> </p><p>"I'd be surprised if you thought about doing legal things… No wonder why Yennefer thinks you’re a mobster," the corners of the chestnut lips curved minimally after saying so, but for Calanthe it was enough for now.</p><p> </p><p>"Do you want to help me make dinner? I'm sure mom will soon return," she carefully leaned back and carried her hands to the other woman’s cheeks to caress them tenderly.</p><p> </p><p>"Don't you have to go back to Cintra?" When Tissaia raised her head to look at her, her eyes were of a much more intense blue than usual and shone, despite being clearly swollen by the hours she had spent crying.</p><p> </p><p>"I've left Eist and Sabrina in charge, it's Monday, there are few people," Calanthe took her lips to her sister's forehead and left a soft kiss there, "fine?"</p><p> </p><p>"Fine," Tissaia approached again, one last time, to hold the eldest tightly and hide her face against her shoulder.</p><p> </p><p>She wasn’t fine, her mind was a complete chaos and was out of control, but Calanthe always managed to be her anchor to the real world. No matter how bad she was or how difficult she found it to express herself, Calanthe would sit next to her, accompanying her or hugging her for as long as she needed. It was easy to see that this had been exactly what Yennefer had started doing for a couple of weeks now, since Tissaia had decided to start giving her small pieces of information; so it was impossible not to think that both women knew exactly how to approach Tissaia when the world and her own emotions surpassed her. Tissaia hadn't had days so bad as to end up at her mother's house, hiding and crying, as in those last two weeks, so she didn't know whether to blame the women in her life for tearing down all her barriers, or stop and think she was reaching her limit again because Vilgefortz was overshooting.</p><p>However, knowing that Yennefer was the girl whose death had been chasing her for eleven years, had wiped out all her mental schemes and whatever belief she had. She was completely lost. She had so much to think about and the few hours she had arranged to assimilate it had been used for crying and channeling all her emotions, unable to discern what she actually felt, that it made her anxious just to think about thinking. Calanthe's presence was like a relaxing balm that allowed her to focus on one thing at a time, as if guiding her from one problem to another hand in hand so that she could solve them little by little and carefully. The woman had always taken such care of Tissaia that the idea of causing her more trouble or disturbing her disgusted her. Still, whenever she really needed her, Calanthe was always there, as if she had a sixth sense, rather than a wide network of contacts.</p><p> </p><p>"Can you walk?"</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia hesitated for a moment, not understanding the question, until she remembered that in the morning the leg wound had reopened. Although she had promised Yennefer that she would take care of it, she had run directly to the house where she had grown up and she had been hiding in the attic for hours, forgetting about the wound. So, for the first time, she had broken a promise. Still, analyzing her own condition, she shook her head. Calanthe didn't need to know that she had skipped all the meals that day, that she had spent the morning in the woods, with Yennefer as the only source of heat, or that she had argued with Vilgefortz, so the less Tissaia spoke, the less she could give herself away in front of a living lies-detector.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm no longer old enough to carry you on my back, but I can take you to the bathroom," when the brunette said that, Tissaia nodded silently and moved, letting her sister help her to get up. "Mom's got your old briefcase with medical stuff, I'll go get it when I leave you there".</p><p> </p><p>True to her word, Calanthe surrounded Tissaia's waist and helped her down from the attic, then carried her very carefully to the bathroom and sat her on the toilet lid. Then she went to get the briefcase and she left it at her sister's feet, kneeling in front of her to help her. Tissaia looked at her silently and Calanthe could see in her eyes how she panicked in a matter of seconds, so, worried, she took her hands and squeezed them tightly.</p><p> </p><p>"Hey… Kiddo look at me," she let go of one of her hands to take the chestnut chin and force her to look at her, "Tissaia, come on," she frowned, worried, "take a deep breath and tell me something logical".</p><p> </p><p>"If the earth were flat, the view range of the human eye would allow us to see the flame of a candle forty-eight kilometers away," Tissaia tried, without taking her eyes off the coffee ones and breathing with difficulty.</p><p> </p><p>"What else?"</p><p> </p><p>"The eyes can perceive up to ten million different colors," Calanthe nodded, prompting her to keep going, "the human brain records about eleven million bits of information per second," Tissaia took a deep breath, "an astronaut can grow up to three percent of what she measures while in space. The Moon is located 384,400km from Earth and all the planets in the solar system could be aligned between the two of them. Nilfgaard is bigger than Pluto," after that last fact, she took a deep breath and let her lips curve into a small, shy smile.</p><p> </p><p>"But I'm sure Pluto is calmer," Calanthe moved the hand she had on her chin to the nape of her neck to force her to bend over so she could kiss her hair, "let me help you with the pants, you have dried blood".</p><p> </p><p>"No!" Tissaia had to control herself so as not to panic a second time, taking several deep breaths. "I... I need a moment, please. I'll be fine, you go see if we can prepare lasagna... Please".</p><p> </p><p>With a worried look, Calanthe nodded, left one last kiss on Tissaia's temple and stood up to get out of the bathroom. She still didn't know what had happened to Tissaia to end up at home and in that state, but she'd wait until she was ready to tell her, even if that meant waiting for hours or days; after all, her sister always ended up telling her everything, it was only a matter of time. She just wished she allowed her to help when she was clearly in such a bad state.</p><p>When the door closed behind Calanthe, Tissaia counted to a hundred and nine, and then began to move slowly. She took off her shoes first and then her pants, taking them off her skin carefully, as dry blood had caused the fabric to stick in some areas. She folded them up to put them aside, even though they would end up in the laundry basket anyway. She then took off her sweater, T-shirt and underwear, folding each of the garments and placing them neatly where they didn't bother her. Once that process was finished, she stood carefully and hobbled to the shower, closing the curtain and opening the tap on the hot water to get under it before starting to take off the bandage.</p><p>Tissaia ignored the bloody water as she carefully cleaned her leg and wound, while enjoying the relaxing feeling of burning water falling on her cold skin. She was keeping her entire weight on her right leg, so she decided that it would be best to sit on the shower floor while the water fell on her. A small smile was drawn on her lips when, as she took a hand to the back of her head to get rid of the bun, she discovered that all he had was an elastic band holding her hair; Yennefer had kept all the pins and forgot to give them back to her.</p><p>The time the shower lasted was exactly thirteen minutes, after which Tissaia got up, closed the faucet and took a towel to dry her body, being very careful that it didn’t get stained with any remaining blood. Wrapped in the towel, the chestnut came out of the shower and sat back in the toilet to start working on fixing the wound, removing the ruined stitches and giving a new pair where it was needed. With her leg bandaged again and the towel around her torso, Tissaia took her clothes and poked her head out the door to check that there was no one who could see her, before leaving the bathroom and limping to what, until years ago, had been her room. It was upstairs, next to the bathroom, so it only took her half a minute to get there, all because of the damned leg.</p><p>The woman’s shoulders did not relax until the door of the room was closed behind her back. She left her used clothes on the dresser and opened one of the drawers to look for something to wear, although at that time all her clothes seemed too cold; maybe she should have gone home so she could take the hoodie... As much as she tried to deny it, the fact that it was from Yennefer and that it still had the smell of her perfume made her feel extremely warm. However, all she could aspire to, were a dark blue long-sleeved shirt with high collar and grey loose pants, which all they left in sight were her hands, head and bare feet.</p><p>Once safe enough to move around the house, she took her clothes and towel, to put them on the laundry basket. Then she went back to the bathroom, picked up, cleaned and took her briefcase, returning it to the place where her mother used to keep it. In total, it had been three-quarters of an hour since Calanthe had left her in the bathroom, but because of the routine they followed when Tissaia ran out into the attic, the woman was sat at the kitchen table, waiting for her with a cup of hot chocolate.</p><p>Tissaia loved routines and to know what was going to happen in advance, she also had serious difficulties with being impulsive —unless Yennefer was involved, for at those times Tissaia changed completely— and she hated surprises; but  above all, when panic, stress or anxiety were in control of her body, any significant changes could completely unbalance her for days.</p><p>Calanthe was sitting in a chair, stirring the contents of one of the two cups she had left on the table and with her eyes fixed on its contents. Limping a little so as not to force her leg, but either worrying her sister, Tissaia came up to sit in the chair on the next side of the table, so she could look at Calanthe comfortably as she spoke, without being in front of her.</p><p> </p><p>"A penny for your thoughts," Tissaia whispered with a hoarse voice, putting her two hands on the cup to warm them up. Her hair was still damp, so she had picked it up in a carefree braid on her back; Calanthe was probably the only person to date with whom Tissaia allowed herself to dress in an unsleek way or to let her hair combed in any way that was not carefully gathered on a tight bun. However, according to the brunette, even with a sack of potatoes, she would still be the most elegant and poised person in the entire city, except for Nenneke.</p><p> </p><p>"I was just wondering why you're still married to that", Calanthe didn't look at her, knowing that bringing that subject would only make her sister lock herself up, "but you shouldn't walk around with your leg like that, you should have called me".</p><p> </p><p>"You're almost fifty years old, Cal," Tissaia pulled the spoon out of her cup and took it to her lips to eat the chocolate that had stuck on and clean it quietly, while sounding completely serious about what she was saying, "I don't want to cause you any kind of accident".</p><p> </p><p>"You're an idiot," the brunette fulminated her with her gaze, but the chestnut let a little smile settle on her lips, "and your girlfriend's brazenness is sticking to you. I can't believe you're letting someone be an awful influence on you at this point, Tissaia Fiona Elen De Vries".</p><p> </p><p>"She's not a bad influence!" Tissaia’s cheeks turned into a dark shade of red when her mind decided to look back at a certain moment between her and the brunette that morning in the woods.</p><p> </p><p>"Do you want us to talk about what happened in the office a few weeks ago? I think that’s a good example of bad influence," with both eyebrows raised and a mocking smile, Calanthe looked her right in the eye.</p><p> </p><p>"Do you want us to talk about what's probably been going on in that office for years when I'm not there?" As blushing as she was, she had to try to defend herself in some way.</p><p> </p><p>"If that means you're going to tell me about your sexual life with Yennefer, yes, I'll be happy to tell you about all the times Eist and I have fucked in th--"</p><p> </p><p>"Calanthe Fiona Rhiannon and Tissaia Fiona Elen De Vries, the details of your sex lives are of no interest to me, thank you very much," a voice coming from the door caused both women, now equally red, to turn their heads to meet the almond eyes of an woman in her seventies, who had her arms placed in jars, her eyelids half-closed and her lower lip slightly raised in a stern gesture.</p><p> </p><p>"But I'm interested in the kiddo’s," Calanthe protested, forcing Tissaia to look down and move, uncomfortable in her seat, the spoon still trapped in her mouth. At the time, Tissaia seemed ten years younger even in the eyes of the women who had seen her grow up.</p><p> </p><p>"What the hell, so am I," the old lady laughed and approached them with open arms. Adalia could tell, for the chocolate and the nickname, that Tissaia hadn’t come only to visit her, but she’d let Calanthe manage that for now; she was more interested in the girl’s private life, now that she looked better.</p><p> </p><p>Calanthe rose instantly to go hug her tightly. Tissaia left the spoon back inside the cup and stood carefully, walking towards them to hug them both at once. After a while, Calanthe helped her sister sit down again and served the old lady a cup of chocolate. Adalia had sat in the chair in front of Tissaia, in a statement of intent.</p><p> </p><p>"Let's see, who's that Yennefer you've been telling me about for a month? Spill the tea, dear".</p><p> </p><p>"It's her girlf-- Wait, you already knew about her?" Calanthe looked at her mother, stunned.</p><p> </p><p>"Dear, the only one who never tells me anything in this family it’s you. Even Cirilla calls every two days to tell me about her advances with one of her friends," Adalia rolled her eyes and took her cup to look at her daughters above it, "I'm waiting, Tissaia. What's that about you having a girlfriend?"</p><p> </p><p>The woman's cheeks had no time to lose the intense color they had acquired from the beginning.</p><p> </p><p>"Well... You see, I actually don’t have any tea," the glaring look of the two women made her blush harder and sigh dramatically, "I told you that she had lent me a hoodie because of the bad weather and then I met her again in Cintra..." When Calanthe interrupted her, Tissaia took the spoon back to her lips.</p><p> </p><p>"She was very cheeky, she couldn’t even stop looking at the kiddo’s ass, and they seemed to be fucking each other with their eyes since they met… I must add," the brunette made a dramatic pause and drank some chocolate, "until they ended up having fucking in our office".</p><p> </p><p>"Calanthe!" Both exclaimed, though only Adalia added: "that language!"</p><p> </p><p>With the spoon in her mouth, Tissaia covered her face with both hands.</p><p> </p><p>"We fucked in the office long after that," she murmured, earning a cheeky smile from both women, due to the word used, and removing her hands to held the spoon between two fingers, without looking at them, "before that we met for a drink in Cintra and..."</p><p> </p><p>"And she didn't prepare anything for her. How could she seduce her like that, it's a mystery that will remain unanswered… But it worked, to hold on".</p><p> </p><p>"Calanthe Fiona Rhiannon De Vries as you interrupt me again one more time while I'm talking I swear, you’ll end up with your head in the chocolate pot," it was a whisper serious and severe enough to keep the brunette quiet and make the old lady laugh.</p><p> </p><p>"Please, my dear, go on".</p><p> </p><p>"Well, we dated a couple more times, I told you about the observatory, the beach and the cinema..."</p><p> </p><p>"Who would have told me you’d sneak into an observatory at your age..." The old lady shook her head and Calanthe could not contain herself.</p><p> </p><p>"What? Wait! I told you she's a terrible influence! And you haven't told me anything about an observatory, a beach or a cinema! Did you fuck on the beach?!"</p><p> </p><p>"Cal, I haven't had time, we had work and I didn't want to distract you… And no, we only had sex on the office… As I said, we all had work".</p><p> </p><p>"No shit, it's because you don't love me anymore," with all the drama in the world, the woman took a hand to her chest and closed her eyes, offended.</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia, on the other hand, rolled her eyes and approached the chocolate cup to her lips, making sure to stain them instead of drinking. She then got up, approached Calanthe and wrapped her neck with both arms before starting to fill her cheek with sound kisses and chocolate.</p><p> </p><p>"Tissaia!" The brunette laughed and held her carefully to make sure she didn't turn away; but complaining was just part of her role. "That's disgusting! You’re a wretched brat!"</p><p> </p><p>"Hm, maybe, but I'm not going to clean it up..." She left one last kiss on her nose, before she split up. "I'm going to have to call Eist," twisting her lips, she left more than clear what she was talking about.</p><p> </p><p>"Hey!" Calanthe patted the youngest on the ass, making her laugh too, under Adalia's happy gaze. "Although I'm sure he'd be more than delighted..." Having an idea, Calanthe replicated her sister's actions, staining her lips with chocolate to fill her face with kisses and stain her.</p><p> </p><p>"It's not fair to copy my wonderful techniques!" Tissaia couldn't stop laughing, so she sat down, before losing her balance, unaware of the moment Calanthe took her cell phone to take a picture of her.</p><p> </p><p>"Oh, excuse me, your excellent chocolateness".</p><p> </p><p>"Supreme Chocolateness for you!" The chestnut composed an expression of superiority, before she began to wipe her face with a napkin. When they both calmed down, Tissaia looked at her mother with some guilt, "where was I?"</p><p> </p><p>"You said you had a lot of dates with wild sex," Calanthe whispered.</p><p> </p><p>"Oh..." Tissaia looked down, "We really don't. Well, except for when I couldn't sit still in the office and..." She was having a hard time saying the phrase out loud now that she had calmed down, suddenly embarrassed.</p><p> </p><p>"You fuck her?" Suggested the brunette and Tissaia nodded.</p><p> </p><p>"We haven't done anything after that. Every time we find the opportunity there is always someone interrupting us or something that requires our attention," with a heavy sigh, Tissaia sunk the spoon back into the liquid and then took it to her mouth, talking with it in her mouth. But the other day when she came to see me in Cintra she brought me a white rose," her lips curved into a stupid smile, so she took off her spoon, intending to catch more chocolate, ignoring the curious way the other two women looked at her. </p><p> </p><p>"It was fucking romantic," muttered Calanthe, looking at Adalia.</p><p> </p><p>"Well, Nenneke came looking for me and asking me to operate on her again, so I took the opportunity to introduce them and Nenneke assumed she was my girlfriend," Adalia raised an eyebrow, but the chestnut continued, "Yenna said she wouldn't be until I officially asked her to, so I asked her if she wanted to be my girlfriend, and she said yes".</p><p> </p><p>With that broad, lovely smile on her lips, Tissaia put the spoon back in her mouth and continued to eat her chocolate that way. Adalia already had both eyebrows raised to that point, so she alternated her gaze between her two daughters, curiously.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm not crazy, am I?"</p><p> </p><p>"No, mom, you are not. We are losing her. The kiddo has irretrievably fallen in love with Yennefer," Calanthe stared at Tissaia waiting for her to be deny it and blush, but she was greatly surprised when the woman held her gaze, without erasing her smile nor saying a word for time enough to make even Adalia shocked.</p><p> </p><p>"And why would I want to remedy it? Yennefer is imperfectly perfect," Tissaia shrugged and looked at the two women, "with her I feel good, and I'm happy. I spend all day thinking about her and about spending as much time as I can with her, even if she's talking or just hugging me. Besides, she's very smart and he says he loves me too".</p><p> </p><p>Calanthe was on the brink of a heart attack right now, for she was sure someone had killed Tissaia and replaced her by a look alike. Not even Rita managed to make her that cheesy, she was going to develop diabetes!</p><p> </p><p>"In that case, when are you going to bring her to lunch or dinner, so I can meet her?"</p><p> </p><p>"What?" Tissaia stopped smiling, suddenly nervous.</p><p> </p><p>"I want you to bring her so I can meet her, Tissaia, officially".</p><p> </p><p>"B-but... I mean... I... Mom…" Tissaia began to move her hands, unable to say what she thought.</p><p> </p><p>"Eist and I can come with Ciri so Yennefer doesn't get overwhelmed," Calanthe offered.</p><p> </p><p>"I don't know who you're taking me for, dear... But if that’s the case, I’ll tell Nenneke and use the fact that they already know each other".</p><p> </p><p>"Saturday?" Adalia looked at her with a raised eyebrow.</p><p> </p><p>"W-we have plans".</p><p> </p><p>"Sunday?"</p><p> </p><p>"Plans again," whispered the chestnut.</p><p> </p><p>"Friday, then".</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia nodded, took her hands to her face and closed her eyes, breathing deep a couple of times before standing up and leaving the kitchen in silence. Adalia looked at the brunette with concern, but Calanthe was already picking up Tissaia's phone.</p><p> </p><p>"Do you know what her password is?" She looked at the old lady.</p><p> </p><p>"Your birthday, but doesn't it have that thing to put your finger on?"</p><p> </p><p>"She's got it broken," Calanthe murmured in an extremely soft voice, her eyes suddenly wet, as she inserted her own birthday into the lock screen and started saving Yennefer's number at her own phone.</p><p> </p><p>"What are you going to do, Calanthe?" The old lady whispered, bending over to look at the screens of the devices.</p><p> </p><p>"Get my sister-in-law's contact, Ma. Someone has to warn poor Yennefer that we have family dinner. Tissaia will panic and probably won’t tell her until last minute, you know her".</p><p> </p><p>"Look if he has pictures of her, I haven't seen her yet," Adalia whispered, "by the way, what happened today".</p><p> </p><p>"Shall we gossip their chat?" Calanthe looked at her innocently. </p><p> </p><p>"Calanthe Fiona Rhiannon, what kind of question is that? Of course we do".</p><p> </p><p>"She hasn’t told me yet, but she had an anxiety attack right after leaving the attic, she’s not okay".</p><p> </p><p>Adalia nodded, more worried about her daughter but said no more about it.</p><p> </p><p>With the approval of the old woman, Calanthe entered the messaging app and tilted her head to see that there were at least ten unread messages from Yennefer. A little more exploration and Calanthe discovered three missed calls from the young woman, two more from Rita, one from Vanielle —from before sending her to take care of her— and a few more messages from the last two women, clearly worried and asking her to call them as soon as she could, to let them know she was okay. More concerned than before, Calanthe tried to take a deep breath and calm down, she’d wait for Tissaia to want to talk and she’d do nothing before that, she trusted her sister. So, she went into Yennefer's chat only and ignored the last messages to scroll up a little, wrinkling her nose when reading some of the messages.</p><p> </p><p>"I just developed diabetes," Calanthe left the phone to the old lady so she could read for herself, "gods, it's too cloying for any human being, what's wrong with them?"</p><p> </p><p>"The nicknames deserve a whole set aside for themselves," Adalia confirmed, as she continued to read, "oh, here's one pic of them two," the woman tapped into the picture, smiling to see that it was a selfie taken by Yennefer. Both were on a sofa and Tissaia had fallen asleep with her head on the youngest woman's chest, something that could make any photo adorable.</p><p> </p><p>"Aaaaaaw, but look at her, isn’t she the cutest thing in the world?" Calanthe had bowed over the table so he could see better.</p><p> </p><p>"What the...? What are you doing with my phone?" Whispered Tissaia, though she didn't seem particularly worried. Vilgefortz used to be careful and didn’t leave evidence, beyond hitting her or some disgusting words —so she deleted their chats—, and her friends used to talk about it without mentioning it. At best, they would discover horribly embarrassing things that he would prefer to stay between her and her girlfriend, but hope disappeared when she saw the expressions on the faces of both women, surrounding them to see the screen of the device. With a sigh she sat down again and crossed her arms. "I can't believe you're checking my phone, I’m not sixteen anymore".</p><p> </p><p>"I just wanted to see a picture of my daughter-in-law, Tissaia, can you really blame me?"</p><p> </p><p>"No, but... How did you find out my password?"</p><p> </p><p>Adalia rolled her eyes and Calanthe got up to go hug her sister tightly and leave a sound kiss on her cheek.</p><p> </p><p>"It’s the same one you used when you were fifteen and you had your first phone, maybe you should consider changing it," she said, making their cheeks dyed red.</p><p> </p><p>"Do you use my birthday as a password since you are fifteen?"</p><p> </p><p>"The message said it had to ‘be<em> strong </em>’ and you're the strongest I could think of," Tissaia stared at the table, daring not to hold her sister's gaze, but she had said the words that matter-of-factly that it took the woman a while to answer.</p><p> </p><p>"You're a fucking idiot," Calanthe whispered, before sniffing noisy through her nose and turning her head to one side, trying to hide the tears that rolled down her cheeks from the sight of the other two women.</p><p> </p><p>"Hm, but I'm an idiot who's right," Tissaia turned her head just enough to kiss her cheek and smiled warmly. "I love you, you beautiful lioness".</p><p> </p><p>"That doesn't take away you’re an idiot," Calanthe hid her head on her shoulder and whispered softly, "I love you too, little skylark. Now, we're going to make dinner before I start crying because of you".</p><p> </p><p>"Are we going to ignore that you're crying now, then?"</p><p> </p><p>Adalia and Tissaia laughed despite Calanthe's hateful glare, but the rest of the afternoon and evening was spent with that quiet familiarity, full of laughter, jokes and red cheeks. Tissaia told her full and detailed story with Yennefer to them both, from the beginning to the moment. This time, Calanthe waited for her to finish, so she could tell her version of all the times she had stumbled upon them, with special emphasis on the unresolved sexual tension between the two. There were no questions about plans for the future and no one mentioned Vilgefortz throughout the evening. After midnight, Adalia said her goodnights to her daughters and went to sleep, inviting them both to stay. The women exchanged a glance as they finished scrubbing the dishes, accepting immediately and turning that night into a sleepover.</p><p> </p><p>Calanthe waited for Tissaia to fall asleep to do what she was planning.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Yennefer woke up with a notification of an unknown number in her phone.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> 'I know you're sleeping with my wife' </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer's heart stopped for a moment, her cell phone falling out of her hands almost instantly. With trembling fingers, she retrieved it between the blankets and reread the message. What would happen now? What if she played dumb? Maybe it was a mistake, maybe he was just suspicious and he was waiting for it to be confirmed in a slip.</p><p> </p><p><em> 'Excuse me?' </em> Just then, an idea crossed the young woman's mind, no one would take it with a priest, would them? <em> 'On behalf of our gods above the spheres, I beg you not to joke with such blasphemy and not to question my vow of chastity, sir'. </em></p><p> </p><p>The answer greatly confused Yennefer.</p><p> </p><p>'😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂’ ‘<em>I</em> <em>didn't expect a religious exit' 'Your mind is on another level' 'No wonder she’s so in love' ‘Here you have, so you can mess with her’ ‘Think of it as a reward for making my morning’.</em></p><p> </p><p>After that last message from the unknown number a photo was sent and, as soon as Yennefer downloaded it, she could see Tissaia with her face full of chocolate and laughing, happy and carefree like she hadn’t seen her before. Too distracted watching every last detail of the photo, Yennefer was ignoring all the messages until her cell phone started ringing, only for two tones, before stopping. The young woman went back to the chat.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> 'She laughs a lot more since she’s with you and it's one of the most beautiful things in the world' ‘I guess I’ll have to thank you and all that’ ‘Maybe I can make her prepare you something’ 'Now stop looking at the photo and read me' 'Yennefer' 'Shit' 'I won’t ever send you any more pictures of her' 'Stop thinking with your pussy’ 'Earth to Yeneeeefeeeeer' 'Well, I see you read me again' 'Talking about my sister again' </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> 'CALANTHE????????' </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> 'No, the ghost of Past Christmas' 'Do you have more sisters-in-law?' </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> 'Damn, I almost died thinking you were the asshole' 'How could you think to write that to me?' 'Do you know the fear I've been through?' ‘I am almost your age now’ </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> 'Oh, excuse me, Father, I didn't think your gods would allow infidelities' 'Okay, fine’ ‘Sorry, I just wanted to see how you reacted' ‘It was funny, though’ </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> 'I'll let you know when I get my heart back, it was beating so fast I've lost it'. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> 'By the message?' </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> 'Oh, no, by your sister, she decided to steal it from me, so I'm waiting to see if I can find it lying around someday.' </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> 'I see' ‘Disgusting’ 'Anyway, I stole your number from her, I hope it doesn't bother you, but I'd rather have it for emergencies' </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> 'It's okay' 'I'm glad to have yours just in case' ‘Do you know something about her?’ </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> ‘She left a while ago, she had classes’ ‘And I know that’s not what you were asking, stop writing and deleting before sending me the question’ ‘She’s not fine, but she’s better’ ‘Just be yourself’ ‘For some reason I can’t relate, it looks like it’s the only thing she needs to be happier’ ‘And sex’ ‘Don’t forget sex’ ‘But not in our office, please’ ‘Beds do exist, you should try them’ ‘I promise not to call unless it’s an emergency’ ‘Or unless I want to mess with you’ ‘It’s funny to see how flustered she is’ ‘I hope you’re blushing and super ashamed right now, though’. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer rolled her eyes, blushed and tried very hard not to laugh. It was going to be a very long day, but at least she knew Tissaia was better and as flustered as herself.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Well, I am curious about what you think, though I won't say anything at all.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Phone call</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter is mostly smut, don't even ask why, it just came out that way, sorry.</p><p>There's a little bit of important plot before they start to have sex (mostly on the dialogues), so you can read just that and what comes after the split. Just enjoy the calm &lt;3</p><p>Merry Christmas!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Stop taking pictures of me, you already have the gallery full of them," Tissaia groaned, still half asleep and burying her head in the curve of Yennefer's neck.</p><p> </p><p>The brunette laughed and sent that photo to Calanthe, next to several emojis with colorful hearts. Calanthe, for her part, merely answered with a gif of a man rolling his eyes; but Yennefer knew that Cintra's owner loved it when she sent her those kinds of pictures, just to see her sister calm and happy.</p><p> </p><p>"Then I'll have to buy a new memory card, just in case you decide to send me nudes," Yennefer kissed her cheek several times in a row, until Tissaia turned her head to search for her lips, not willing to answer that, "do you have plans for tomorrow?"</p><p> </p><p>Instead of answering, Tissaia kissed her girlfriend again, taking a hand to her neck to keep her glued and get a little more time. She had not yet told her anything about the dinner planned by her mother and sister —very much against her will— for she never found the time and, in truth, she was quite uncomfortable with the idea that her family would officially meet Yennefer. Part of her thought that the feeling was only due to the speed with which everything was happening, but the woman knew that it was not the problem; the problem in question was shaped like a man and sadly had his own name.</p><p>Neither woman had commented on the previous Monday. Yennefer could see how the woman tightened or deflected conversations every time they seemed to be heading in that direction, and she refused to put the slightest pressure on her. Tissaia was still processing that Yennefer was the same person she had thought was dead for eleven years and the brunette could see that she was having a very difficult time with it, much more than she would have expected, for she thought it was a good thing. Yeah, she could be very bold sometimes.</p><p>However, in addition to having difficulty dealing with substantial changes, Tissaia's real problem was that she had been unable to find out absolutely anything about why Vilgefortz had lied to her about it. The woman had tried to ask her husband where he had her patient's file, but Vilgefortz had merely laughed at her and made several hurtful comments. Every day Tissaia was more confident that Yennefer was indeed her patient. The information fit, the scars showed their own suture, and she knew exactly what she had told the unidentified girl, so where had a report certifying her death come from? Why had both Vilgefortz and Sheala —the nurse— claimed she was dead?</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer could hear Tissaia think, so she leaned back slightly to rest her forehead against hers and prevent the woman from kissing her again. It was late, but the idea of closing her eyes and losing the opportunity to look at the other was very difficult for both of them; so they always ended up falling asleep later than usual, every day.</p><p> </p><p>"What's going on?" The young woman raised a hand to perch it on her cheek and caressed it tenderly, the other moving from Tissaia’s hip to her lower back.</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia put one of her legs between Yennefer’s, daring her to keep going while she opened her mouth to answer, but her phone began to ring instantly. Yennefer groaned and kissed her nose, before resting her head on the pillow again. She was about to murder someone. It was fucking late!</p><p> </p><p>"I'm surprised someone wants something, I hadn't even started touching you," the brunette muttered, clearly offended with the phone.</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia set her eyes blank, but seeing who it was, she picked up and took her cell phone to her ear.</p><p> </p><p>"Tell me, love," Tissaia murmured clearly half sleep, though her eyebrows frowned upon seeing the wolfish expression on the young woman's face. The chestnut didn't understand what that way of looking at her was about until Yennefer put her lips on her neck and started leaving wet kisses on it.</p><p> </p><p>"Do I catch you with my hands busy? Because I can call later, by the way, say hello to Yennefer for me".</p><p> </p><p>"No..." Tissaia closed her eyes when some teeth grazed an exposed part of her carotid very intentionally, "we were just talking, and I was almost sleeping. How do you know I'm with her and not at home?" Tissaia's chest began to go up and down heavily, although her voice did not give away the presence of fingers stroking her abdomen under the hoodie that the brunette had lent her. But, she sounded more awaken now.</p><p> </p><p>"Too bad..." Calanthe snapped her tongue and then laughed. "Let's just say I just know. Did you tell her we have dinner at home tomorrow?"</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia had to take her free hand to her mouth so that no sound came out of her when Yennefer's hands reached her breasts and began to massage them with total brazenness. When she glared at her, the brunette decided to sit straddling her hips and pinch one of her nipples, daring her to keep talking.</p><p> </p><p>"Tissaia?"</p><p> </p><p>The chestnut closed her eyes and put her hand away, though her voice sounded somewhat more serious than a few seconds ago. Yennefer knew it was the only way she had to complain and to disguise the hoarse pitch of her voice.</p><p> </p><p>"Sorry, I've been distracted," she took a deep breath, "no, I haven't said anything to her yet."</p><p> </p><p>To the woman's fortune, Yennefer's lips disappeared from her neck, though to her misfortune, they reappeared a second later in her abdomen, under the sweatshirt, and more insistently now that they reached that new skin expansion. Yennefer used one of her hands to raise the hoodie a little, leaving in sight a small expansion of skin, on which she passed her lips and tongue repeatedly.</p><p> </p><p>"You've had four days, pass the phone over to her".</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia wasn't quite sure she wanted to do that, but she knew she needed to stop Yennefer before Calanthe realized what was going on, so she offered the phone to the brunette, biting her lower lip hard to silence a groan at the time the brunette decided to leave a small mark on her hip —just hidden from the top of her underwear, so she wasn't particularly worried.  Yennefer picked up the phone, stopping to look at her girlfriend with some confusion.</p><p> </p><p>"It's Cal," Tissaia whispered, trying to regain a minimum of composure. The attempt failed when Yennefer expression reflected her mischief and she started to rock her hips against Tissaia’s.</p><p> </p><p>"Oh, then you should try not to be heard," Yennefer whispered, using one of her hands to grab the phone and take it to her ear, resting the other over Tissaia's crotch to exert some pressure, which caused the chestnut to gasp. "How's the third prettiest woman in the world?"</p><p> </p><p>She said the next time they were turned on, she’d fuck her anyway and she was going to be true to her word.</p><p> </p><p>Holding the cell phone between her shoulder and her head, Yennefer took a finger to her lips to instruct her girlfriend to remain silent, sketching a mocking smile, and moved the thumb of the other hand to do some more pressure on her clitoris above the underwear. Tissaia took a hand back to her lips when her hips moved slightly, seeking to increase contact between the two as much as possible.</p><p> </p><p>"Only the third? You hurt my feelings," the woman on the other side of the line laughed, "what have you done to my sister, so she doesn't argue everything I say to her?"</p><p> </p><p>"The first is her and the second my boss, sorry Calanthe… At least you’re top three," Yennefer shrugged and took the opportunity to put her free hand under Tissaia’s clothes, back to her breasts, leaving the other still on her sex for a few seconds, "it's a tight competition, though the first position is indisputable," she bent over to leave a kiss on Tissaia's lips and moved the hand between her legs a little, getting inside her underwear and using two fingers to pull away the folds. She moved her hips again, a smile of satisfaction drawn on her lips as he felt how incredibly wet the chestnut was and winked to Tissaia, "I think if I told you what I'm doing to her, she wouldn't talk to me again".</p><p> </p><p>Calanthe's laughter was heard from Tissaia's position, which made her blush hardly, but didn’t make her stop moving under the brunette, in an attempt to seek more contact. The older woman’s gaze was begging and, no matter how exciting the situation, Yennefer was unwilling to allow a mistake to ruin all that, so she nodded, as her fingers began to roam between the wetness, easily slipping inside due to the amount of moisture present.</p><p> </p><p>"Anyway, is there anything I can do for you?"</p><p> </p><p>"Alright, alright, I'll let you keep fucking her while we talk," Calanthe rolled her eyes and curved her lips in a half smile when the woman didn't argue at all.</p><p> </p><p>"I don't know who you're taking me for".</p><p> </p><p>"Yennefer, it’s not about you… I know my sister," she added, making it clear it wasn’t such a crazy thing for Tissaia to do, even if it was to Yennefer. "Tomorrow we have dinner at our mother's house, together, she was supposed to tell you, but I knew she was likely to panic about you being uncomfortable or running away".</p><p> </p><p>"And what does that have to do with me?" The brunette frowned, somewhat confused, while keeping her hand still again despite the urgent movements of the chestnut. What did Calanthe mean she knew her sister, though? Had Tissaia done something like that before? Yennefer rolled her nipple between two fingers, making her whimper. Luckily, the sound was muffed against her hand and the brunette had a hard time hearing it. Did she imagine that?</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia refused to let out a single sound from her throat, with an incredibly admirable willpower, but Yennefer was not going to give her what she needed until she asked for, wanting to hear her beg, at least once.</p><p> </p><p>"It has to do that mom wants you to come and meet you officially," Calanthe said, as if it was obvious.</p><p> </p><p>"Oh," Yennefer's eyes were fixed on Tissaia. She let go of her breast and put her fingers out.</p><p> </p><p>The chestnut was unwilling to lose the little relief she was getting, so, quietly, she took her own hand until she placed it on Yennefer's and started guiding her fingers back to the wetness between her legs. It was a miracle that Yennefer had stopped breathing when she saw her girlfriend's intentions —echoing what she did the first time they had sex—, for it was the only thing that prevented something beyond a growl from escaping her throat. Oh... Oh, indeed. So that's what Calanthe meant? Shit, she didn’t know she was playing with a fucking bomb and not with a match… Fuck. How could she have known Tissaia had <em>that</em> on her?</p><p> </p><p>"I'll ask her about it. Bye".</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer felt bad about hanging Calanthe like that, but the only one of her neurons that continued to work had died as soon as Tissaia had started making her move her fingers again on her sex. Her bare hands had little room to move under her underwear and Yennefer was not keen to move, needing the little contact between her own body and Tissaia’s skin; but that didn't stop the chestnut from being willing to force her to continue. Yes, all that had started because Yennefer was angry that Tissaia always picked her phone —to everyone except her husband— and never said no when someone asked her for help. Yennefer only wanted her to get her phone hanged up to whoever had decided to annoy them at 2am on the night —nothing’s fair in love and war, wasn’t it?—, she would never had expected that it would turn on Tissaia that much or that she would be more than willing to play the game without complaining... But that she was practically forcing her to keep going as punishment? Not even in her best fantasies. And that was havocing between her own legs and ruining her panties.</p><p>Finally, when the cell phone fell into bed, Tissaia allowed herself to let out a groan. What Yennefer had tried was obvious and too tempting to complain, to deny or even to try and resist it. Therefore, as soon as the chestnut understood that the young woman was not going to stop until she hung  up and decided to give up —Tissaia would let her do absolutely what she wanted  with her—,  she got upset to feel Yennefer moving her fingers out of her. Both could play that and if Tissaia had to finish what the brunette had started, she would. She’d had enough other people's interruptions to let the brunette leave her halfway.</p><p> </p><p>"Fuck," Yennefer whispered, as the older began to guide their hands to her entrance, doing some pressure on Yennefer's. No, she wouldn't be able to wait for Tissaia to beg her, not when two of her fingers entered so easily inside the woman, ripping a second groan at her.  Yennefer had lost any ability to say anything coherent, so she repeated that word at least three times, before Tissaia rolled her eyes.</p><p> </p><p>"Yennefer, I'd appreciate a little collaboration before I decide to stop using your hand and start using mine," Tissaia whispered, between frantic breaths. When the blue eyes reached those of the younger one, they opened with surprise to see that the violet of these had been almost entirely replaced by the black of her pupils. It would be of no use to deny that the way Yennefer was looking at her turned her on as much as the situation.</p><p> </p><p>"Okay," she replied automatically, before she started moving her fingers on her own, practically taking them all out before sinking them back to knuckles. Yennefer's eyes were fixed on the other woman's body, watching her back arch and her lips open in a silent cry. That was an image that she would need to recreate over and over again —if possible, without clothes—, and that she could never get tired of. How could a human person be that beautiful, and hot, and perfect when she was ruined like that?</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer did not stop, her mind full of thoughts appreciating Tissaia’s everything. She was gaining confidence as Tissaia became increasingly unable to silence sounds and her hips began to move more, with clear need. Not wanting Sabrina or Jaskier to wake up, Yennefer sealed the woman’s lips and, although she was cursing the loss of contact between her hand and Tissaia's in that very moment, she smiled when that hand ended up in her ass, clinging tightly. Tissaia did the same with her remaining hand, taking it to the other side of the brunette’s butt, to pull her and force her to change the position slightly and sit on her right thigh. Yennefer knew exactly what she wanted, but she wanted to wait until she begged her to move her hips over her skin, cursing her own underwear for not having magically disappeared. Tissaia left Yennefer's lips and began to leave some kisses around her neck, before reviewing the entire extension of skin with her tongue so slowly that it could be considered torture.</p><p> </p><p>"Yen, harder," it was an order and Yennefer didn’t have it on her to complain. She’d love to hear her beg, yes, but that woman was so hot when commanding… "Now".</p><p> </p><p>When Yennefer finally let her hips move in search of any kind of relief, the moan that was clearly heard in the room was hers. It wasn’t until that moment that she was fully aware of how wet she was, so she had not expected such slight contact to make her knees tremble and interrupt the constant rhythm of her fingers. The brunette bit her lower lip when Tissaia's teeth joined her lips and tongue over her throat, leaving a third and fourth mark on it. Is that was she got for not complying, she should rethink if she should do it at all. She had previously dropped how sexy it was when Tissaia lost control and her neck or shoulders ended up with some slightly redder than usual area, but Yennefer hadn't stopped to think that Tissaia would use that information to make, between that, the friction of her crotch with her thigh and a "come for me" gasped in her ear, do exactly that.</p><p>Yennefer looked for Tissaia's lips instantly, resting her free hand on the mattress so as not to collapse on the woman. She was finding it difficult to continue coordinating the movements of her hand, as soon as she felt the other woman’s own limb over it again. She was still moving her hips erratically through the spasms of her orgasm, so she used his thumb to circle Tissaia's clit. The young woman appreciated having her lips busy sealing the other woman when Tissaia grabbed her wrist and set a new pace, for probably the sound that would have escaped from them, would have waken her friends. It was obvious she had forgotten about moving her fingers for a while and she greatly regretted it when she felt the woman's body tightening under her and how her insides tried to held her fingers inside at all cost for a few more seconds, while she kept moving them. Tissaia was unable to keep moving her girlfriend’s hand since she got closer to the orgasm, so Yennefer took advantage of it and stayed just a bit longer than necessary that way.</p><p>Someday, she was going to die because Tissaia was just so hot it was barely possible to manage for a human person.</p><p>When Tissaia began to relax and her breathing began to slow down, Yennefer dropped into bed next to her and took her head to Tissaia’s chest, closing her eyes. It took her almost a minute to realize that she had not yet removed her hand, so he carefully removed her fingers from inside Tissaia, making moan softly, and took them to her lips, cleaning them slowly and suggestively, to make sure her girlfriend saw her do it. Yennefer hardly had time to put her hand away when Tissaia’s mouth claimed her in a hungry and intense kiss. Much to their regret, both women ended up breaking contact at the need to breathe and Yennefer hid her head against Tissaia's neck.</p><p> </p><p>"I swear to you, if the next time we got turned on, someone calls, they are going hear us even in  Redania,"  the brunette muttered.</p><p> </p><p>"Something tells me that if you haven't had patience today to undress me or, at least, get rid of my panties… And you didn't care if I were talking to my sister, that threat is serious…" A laugh sprang from Tissaia's lips, who turned her head to kiss the brunette's forehead, "it's late and I'd like to think we're the only ones awake, we should rest".</p><p> </p><p>"I suppose..." Yennefer closed her eyes and smiled, "Cal told me that tomorrow you do have plans".</p><p> </p><p>"I..."</p><p> </p><p>"It’s okay, we don’t have to go if you don’t want to. I said I would ask you about it," Yennefer raised her head to look at her.</p><p> </p><p>"I don't want to overwhelm you… And you'll have enough on Sunday with my friends, so we can leave it for another day, or maybe nev-" Tissaia didn't finish the sentence, because Yennefer's lips on hers stopped her.</p><p> </p><p>"I want to meet your family, I want to spend all my time with you. But I don't want you to be upset, to feel uncomfortable, or to get into trouble," Yennefer confessed, resting her forehead on the woman’s.</p><p> </p><p>"I'd like you to meet mom," Tissaia's voice sounded so fragile that the brunette turned her head back so she could look at her face and make sure she wasn't lying, "but they can be scary with our partners and I…"</p><p> </p><p>"Not even an entire army would make me run away from you," Tissaia relaxed when hearing that and smiled, "but you'd better help me choose what to wear before you leave in the morning… I’d prefer if they liked me".</p><p> </p><p>"Anything would work, it will be at home, so you don't have to worry about clothes," Tissaia smiled and closed her eyes, "she's like an old version of Calanthe".</p><p> </p><p>"Should I worry about my physical integrity?"</p><p> </p><p>"Hm... I don't think so, you'll have Ciri, Eist and me to defend you from mom, Cal and Nenneke," she laughed softly, "now go to sleep, Piglet".</p><p> </p><p>"I'll wear bulletproof vests then," Yennefer left her head on Tissaia's chest again, with a smile and her eyes closed, "good night... Professor," Yennefer purred that last word on her girlfriend's ear.</p><p> </p><p>"Fuck it," she opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling for a moment, ignoring Yennefer's mocking giggle when she pinned her against the bed.</p><p> </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>Since she would have to leave as soon as possible to get ready, go find Yennefer —and probably help her choose what to wear despite all she said— Tissaia did her best not to let the brunette distract her and leave at seven o'clock from her apartment, when her flatmates had not yet got up. She had not yet been found there in any of the nights they had spent together, but until dinner the next day with them, Tissaia preferred it to remain so. She preferred to think they didn’t know when she was there and what she was doing. After all, they hadn’t sleep a lot last night.</p><p>For that reason, it was not until she left the apartment that she put on her heels and began to go down the stairs, careful with her wounded leg. This time she walked at a normal pace, so when she crossed paths a second time with a young man with brown hair, light eyes and laughing expression, he had time to recognize her. Jaskier wore a carton with three takeaway glasses of coffee and a paper bag full of fresh backed things, but that didn't stop him from greeting her with a nervous smile when he met Tissaia, in the middle of the stairwell. It was the second time he'd seen the woman in his building, coming down from one of the top floors. Had his former teacher moved into his building and no one had told him? What was she doing leaving at seven in the morning? He needed answers.</p><p> </p><p>"Professor De Vries?"</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia stopped two steps above the young man, which gave her a height advantage that made her more terrifying in Jaskier's eyes.</p><p> </p><p>"Mr. Pankratz, good morning," the woman so slightly curved the corner of her lips that only those who really knew her could appreciate the change; the rest would only think she was still completely serious. And Jaskier was one of the rest.</p><p> </p><p>"You remember me," Jaskier didn't know whether to be surprised, worried, or scared, so he was all at once.</p><p> </p><p>"I usually remember all my students, Julian... Now, if you'll excuse me, I have classes to teach," there were still two hours to go, but she had to go home, take a shower and then a department meeting with the physics teachers. And after her evening activities, Tissaia almost regretted refusing the breakfast offered by Yennefer that morning.</p><p> </p><p>"Oh. Sure, yes. Excuse me. I am… Glad to see you," the young man smiled and the chestnut bowed her head as a greeting.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm also glad to see you, I wish you luck in Monday's interview," said the woman before she resumed her march downstairs, leaving behind a dazed Jaskier.</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia bet that the last thing the young man expected was that one of his former teachers had paid him enough attention to remind him, let alone to keep track of his career, four years after graduating. Even if Julian had been one of the loudest and most dramatic students the chestnut had ever had in all his teaching years, Tissaia used to check how each of her alumni had ended up from time to time. And that was hundreds of people. She lost track of many of them over time, but others like Jaskier, Sabrina —or even Philippa, Renfri and Triss, had they not been working as assistants— were some of the names the teacher checked most often.</p><p>Tissaia took a taxi to the teachers' residence and went straight home to take a shower and get dressed, wanting to start the day properly. Vilgefortz would probably have slept with one of his lovers, so the sooner she left home, the smaller the chance she would have be to meet him and let him ruin her day. That weekend was going to be perfect.</p>
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<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Abuse</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Here we are, once again... Dear readers, i hope you can forgive me for the following bow, but it's important for the plot (and, to be honest, one of the 3 fix points I had on mind when I started to write this, which, by the way, wasn't supposed to be over 20k; but life it's not how we expect it lol). Well, as some of you may have deduced (me included), apparently I only write smut before angst comes, so expect it in this chapter (I won't hide what's comming bcs it has some TW).</p><p> </p><p>  <strong> TW: blood, mentions to blood, graphic description of injuries, mentions to abuse (physical, sexual and psychological), mentions to suicide, mentions to muder, mentions to anxiety, some mental breakdowns...</strong></p><p> </p><p>Well, it's a very important chapter for the plot, but it's delicate, so I will try to summarize it in the note for the next chapter so anyone who needs to skip this can do so freely. I hope you are doing okay and that you are having a beautiful new year.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Okay, hear me out," Rita bit the inside of her cheek, trying not to laugh<em>,</em> "<em>'the reason why the cell nucleus is responsible for protein degradation is based on the need for DNA to continue to evolve like a Pokemon' a</em>nd he fucking wrote Pókemon incorrectly".</p><p> </p><p>"Gods, Rita, suspend him directly just for that shit," Yennefer was laughing, "I'm sure he was high or drunk when he took the exam".</p><p> </p><p>"Do you say it from experience?" The blonde made her eyebrows raise.</p><p> </p><p>"Hm... No. I think... Did I ever put on a nonsense as big as that?"</p><p> </p><p>Rita hesitated for a while, trying to remember and then she smiled.</p><p> </p><p>"Not that bad, but you did say that <em>‘female were above men in the evolutionary chain’</em>... But as someone who once said that the reason her heart was beating was her love for her girlfriend," the eldest acknowledged, "I won't be the one to blame a student for not focusing when he's taking an exam".</p><p> </p><p>"But at least you said the heart was beating… And you were in love, that boy said the cell nucleus degrades protein, Rita," the brunette shook her head, and then stopped reading one of the test answers on her hands. "Wait, I have a better one, <em>'the human body is so complex that every cell has a different function, so we should be grateful not to be time lords, or we would have to worry about a lot more cells</em> <em>and then it would be impossible to</em> <em>pass… Can I get Yennefer’s phone number?'</em> </p><p> </p><p>Rita burst into laughter, leaving the red pen and exams on the side of the couch to avoid any kind of accident. After going to lunch with Yennefer and Vanielle —and all her attempts to get information about her relationship with Tissaia had failed, even they teased several times for the hickeys on her neck—, the blonde had asked her assistant if she wouldn't mind going to work with her at home for a couple of hours. They had to correct the Physiology exams of first-year students and the woman would like to leave them done before the weekend. She knew Yennefer would have to leave early to get ready and go to dinner at the De Vries's —news that had made them fangirl a bit too much when Tissaia had informed them some days ago— but they were looking forward to Sunday, just to see the faces of Tissaia and Yennefer when they met them and discovered that they had known everything for a few weeks. It would be hilarious.</p><p>Yennefer was sitting in a chair and had the exams divided into two piles on the table, the one corrected being considerably smaller than the other. Rita, on the other hand, was sitting on the couch with her legs crossed and some scattered exams around her. Actually, the only reason the brunette hadn't ended up doing the same was because she didn't want to take too many trusts at her boss's house, and the more professional she looked, the better picture she'd give, right? Tissaia always looked professional and had an impeccable image, so Yennefer didn't lose anything for trying once.</p><p>Rolling her eyes, the young woman crossed out that answer as incorrect and added a brief comment that said<em> 'Not studying before an exam will make it</em> <em>impossible for you to pass, which does not take away doing marathons from time to time… Rule 408: you shouldn’t just save time when you don't have time, time isn't your boss. And no, Annika, you can’t have my number</em>’.</p><p> </p><p>"Correcting exams with company is much more fun and faster, thanks for staying for a while," Rita managed to say, a few minutes later.</p><p> </p><p>"It's nothing".</p><p> </p><p>With a smile, Yennefer turned all her attention back to work. The two stacks gradually equaled until the corrected exams began to be more than the others, making the young woman feel much more cheered up. Her eyes were finding it difficult to navigate a student's horrible handwriting when the sound of a glass shattering against the ground startled her. Yennefer raised her head, shocked and confused, but as she looked around, she discovered Rita on the couch, with the same expression as hers. There was nothing out of place in the room —or more than usual, at least— so the brunette tried not to give it any importance and focus again. Rita, on the other hand, seemed a little restless all of a sudden; something told her that the noise came from upstairs and the one who lived in that apartment was Tissaia. But surely it would be nothing more than an accident… She wouldn't give it too much importance for now, or the chestnut would start calling her dramatic and overprotective.</p><p>It was only a couple of minutes later that a loud noise sounded above their heads again. This time it was more like a chair being throwed to the floor, so both women bowed their heads to fix their eyes on the ceiling with a frown. Rita's body was instantly strained when she realized she couldn't run away to check on her friend while Yennefer was at home, and that she would have to get her out of there and force her to leave before she could do something stupid and go find Tissaia.</p><p> </p><p>"The people upstairs must be moving or redecorating," the blonde assumed, before looking again at the paper she was holding. A second blow, heavier and probably belonging to the dining room table, made her snort. "They could do these things when we're not working… Fucking men," then she rolled her eyes, "there's no point in trying to end, I can't focus".</p><p> </p><p>"It's no big deal for me," Yennefer tried to cheer her up, with a little smile. She was used to studying with Jaskier and Sabrina fighting in the background, so a move wouldn't take her attention, now that she was warned that the noises would continue.</p><p> </p><p>"It must be my age," Rita shrugged and began picking up the exams slowly to disguise the tremor in her hands, stopping only when a new noise was heard, this time it was probably the sofa being dragged on the floor. "You should use the time and go home so you can have time to rest. It's not every day you met your mother-in-law".</p><p> </p><p>"How do you know I'm going to meet Sky's mother?" Yennefer stared at the blonde, with surprise, for she didn't remember telling anyone but Sabrina.</p><p> </p><p>"You've asked me before what clothes were best for when they introduced you to your girlfriend's family," she shrugged, trying to get out of trouble as she could, but she was to anxious to elaborate too much, "so I thought that meant parents-in-law".</p><p> </p><p>"You're right, I'm sorry, sometimes I don't realize such obvious things," the brunette smiled again, and began to pick up, aware that it was what Rita was subtlety asking for. "Are you sure you'll be okay with the exams? I can take some home and keep correcting them on my own so you don't have to do all the work".</p><p> </p><p>"Oh no, no way. You enjoy your weekend, I'll do all the work I can," Rita stood up and walked to the door, closing her eyes with her back on Yennefer when she heard one last noise, a dull knock on the ground that, for someone so very familiar with the human body, was easy to recognize when enough information was known. Still, she managed to compose a believable smile as she opened the door and turned back to the brunette. "Be careful on the way home and enjoy the night, I hope you tell me absolutely everything, the next time we meet… And I want all the details," yet, she suspected she wasn’t going to get any story on Monday.</p><p> </p><p>"Hm... Only if it goes well, if it goes wrong, I think I'll change my identity and move to Aedrin," the young woman joked, hanging the bag on her shoulder and walking to the door to stop on the other side. "Have a good weekend, Rita... I hope Philippa doesn't distract you too much from work," with a wink from her right eye, Yennefer gave the blonde a quick hug and walked up the stairs, too restless to use the elevator.</p><p> </p><p>Rita closed the door and ran to her purse to get Tissaia's set of keys out of it. Both she and Vanielle had one, in case anything ever happened or if they needed to get into Tissaia's house for anything. The woman was doing her best to control herself, but now that Yennefer had left, her hands were visibly shaking, and her feet carried her back and forth in the living room. She wanted to wait at least two minutes to make sure the girl had left and suspected nothing, but also to let Vilgefortz go. So, she took that time to go get her medical bag, just in case.</p><p>The blonde was more than aware that if she encountered the neurosurgeon at the time, she would simply pull the scalpel out of her bag and sink it into his chest, then she’d try to open his torso and take his organs out, before using it to make a clean, horizontal cut on his neck... So yes, she'd better wait until I heard the sound of the door and then the sound of the elevator coming up.</p><p>As soon as the elevator started to go down, Margarita ran out of her apartment and climbed the steps in two until she stopped in front of her friend's apartment door. She struggled to find the key and insert it into the lock, her hands too shaky, but eventually managed to turn it around and open the door, entering and letting it close behind her back.</p><p>The hall was too dark to see anything, but it was obvious that Tissaia's perfect organization had been brutally altered. The table was overturned on one side, like some of the chairs, the sofa moved considerably to one side, the hallway bureau had some drawers open and out, and the little light coming through a curtain slit was reflected in the glass fragments tossed on the living room’s floor, some of them stained with food. Rita took a step towards the room, seeing then that the floor was also full of papers, possibly from works that her friend would have been reviewing, but there was no trace of her. With a deep sigh, the blonde decided to walk down the aisle and towards the bathroom, whose door was open, but there was nothing but a towel with traces of blood inside it. All the muscles in her body tightened. She didn't trust her voice, so he didn't even try to call Tissaia.</p><p>She had not checked the kitchen and neither had the bedroom, so she decided to walk to the second room first. The air was blocked inside the woman's lungs, her pulse shot and her eyes having become accustomed to the dim light offered by that apartment were everything was closed. When she entered the bedroom, Rita saw absolutely nothing in a first look and had already taken a step back when she heard such a soft sound that for a moment she hesitated if it had been a product of her mind, but with a second look around the room, the blonde discovered a hidden lump in a corner of the room, trembling in complete silence.</p><p>The darkness did not allow her to assess the state in which was the person she assumed was Tissaia, so, without thinking twice, she walked to the window and completely opened the shutter and one of the curtains. As she turned around, for a fraction of a second she regretted it.</p><p> </p><p>Would she have time to reach Vilgefortz? Put some explosive chemicals in his car, maybe? She will definitely buy a gun to use it on him the next time she saw him… She also was going to carry a scalpel with her every day, just in case they met. He was so fucking dead.</p><p> </p><p>More than two minutes later, with her heart in a fist, tears in her eyes and more fury than her body was able to contain, Rita stepped towards her friend. Tissaia had not produced a single noise, nor had she moved, since she had taken that position, except when she had realized Rita was there. With a second step, the blonde stopped.</p><p>At first glance, Tissaia was a mess. Her clothes were shattered —her shirt was missing a sleeve and it was noticeable that all the buttons had been ripped off, her skirt had been torn in such a way that only a couple of threads held it at waist height— and stained with what looked like a combination of blood and other substances that the blonde did not intend to stop to examine. Tissaia was sitting in a corner, knees at chest height and surrounded  by her arms, her face buried against her knees and slightly hidden by her arms. Her hair was tousled, some strands were significantly separated from the initial bun, others sticking to the woman's forehead by sweat or blood. Tissaia's legs were covered with marks and scratches, with several areas showing a more purple than pale appearance; the same was the case with her arms, although the number of wounds and bruises in these was considerably higher, to the point of leaving very little expanse of pale skin intact.</p><p>Rita managed to walk the few steps left and knelt in front of Tissaia. She dried her cheeks before whispering, afraid to touch her.</p><p> </p><p>"Ti?" The lack of response worried her enormously. "Tissaia, I need to examine you..." Despite her words, the blonde didn't move a single muscle, "for that I’m gonna need to touch you…" She explained, as if it wasn’t obvious, "can I touch you?"</p><p> </p><p>The chestnut moved her head slightly in what seemed like a nod, so, with great care, Rita took both hands to the sides of her head to lift it slowly. Her movements were paused, giving the other woman plenty of time to predict them, but her knees failed and made her sink them on the wooden floor, when she looked Tissaia in the face. She sat on the floor in front of her, trying to stop the tremor of her hands.</p><p>Her right eye was half closed and a little swollen, the cheekbone had a bleeding wound and a darker color, so hopefully that area would have taken the blow and the eye would be out of danger. Apart from that, Tissaia's nose was close to be broken, her lower lip was split, and her mouth was still full of blood. Whatever had happened, that animal hadn't cared in the slightest to make sure she left the woman full of marks and wounds, obvious and visible to anyone. It was worst than any kind of animal trying to mark his territory.</p><p>Rita checked the reaction of pupils to light and then their ability to follow movements, before continuing the exploration on the woman's body. Tissaia's neck had obvious marks of strangulation, Vilgefortz's fingers marked in red and purple around the throat.</p><p> </p><p>"Can you talk?" She hadn't even realized that she had asked until she heard her own voice and saw Tissaia's slight negative movement, "difficulties breathing?"</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia closed her eyes and took a deep breath of air, but immediately folded in half and began coughing, spitting some blood in doing so.</p><p>Margarita held her shoulders carefully to keep her upright and prevent any wounds present on her torso from getting worse. Apparently, her throat would be fine, but her ribs were a whole different matter. Rita’s hands had begun to trembl again, but the only thing that allowed her to keep moving was how much she was worried about her friend's well-being, so she wouldn't stop until she was sure she was going to be okay.</p><p> </p><p>"I should call an ambulance," Rita began to take Tissaia's shirt off, ignoring her growl of disagreement, and looked horrified at the horizontal mark between her collarbone and breasts. The shape of the mark reminded the blonde of the broken dish on the floor of the living room; probably the fucking bastard would have thrown it at Tissaia... He could have killed her if it had hit her in the head or ribs. "He beat you up, Tissaia," Margarita's voice was totally broken and she wasn't able to say anything else. She continued to scan the woman's body and identified more affected areas in the torso, mainly a bigger blow in the ribs that could be what was causing her breathing difficulties.</p><p> </p><p>If she had broken any ribs, she would need to be taken to the hospital as soon as possible to do an X-ray, but she couldn't move her. Worst of all, one part of Margarita knew that taking Tissaia to the hospital would only put her in more danger, because it meant exposing what Vilgefortz had done to her, again; yet she was willing to take the risk and have a scalpel on hand, so she could kill him as soon as she saw him.</p><p>The preliminary examination concluded within five more minutes, but Rita's hatred and anger had only increased. She knew Vilgefortz would have forced Tissaia only to broke her even more, but get a visual confirmation and see how the chestnut couldn't even look her in the eye… The only thing stopping her from leaving to Redania to find him was the fact that Tissaia needed her.</p><p>In a state of mind that alternated anxiety, anger and deep sadness, Rita sat next to Tissaia and passed an arm down her back, avoiding the two large bruises that were forming on it.</p><p>It took the blonde several attempts and whines from the other woman, but with one arm around her waist and carrying virtually all her weight as she walked, she managed to take her to the toilet and sit her in the bathtub, opening the hot water and helping her clean herself. Margarita's hands were tender and careful with every millimeter of skin they touched, damaged or not, but she was trying to let her fear of doing so be shown. In fact, she was terrified that at any time Tissaia would break or die in her arms; yet, from what she had seen, Vilgefortz had had enough cold blood to make sure he left her wife on the verge of avoiding a hospital visit.</p><p> </p><p>"Ri..." The hoarse broken voice, or rather the growl, reached the blonde's ears, making her blink confusion.</p><p> </p><p>A trembling arm surrounded her neck and made her lean forward, so in a matter of seconds one of her hands ended up inside the bathtub, the other resting on one side and her face sunk against Tissaia's shoulder. Rita needed nothing more than that to be the one to break, trembling and crying in that weak embrace and horrible position. She was thankful her tears could be confused with the water and that her sobs were muffed against her friend’s skin, for she couldn’t control herself nor stop. Tissaia rested the healthy side of her face against the golden strands and closed her eyes, giving her as much time as she needed to let go of the emotions she had been containing for half an hour.</p><p>From that embrace on, time became difficult to measure, but when Margaret finally leaned back, her body was numb and her face dry. Tissaia tried to smile at her, but it was obviously impossible for her with the pitiful state in which her face was, so she stopped bothering. Her face was wet, but the blonde made no comment and merely finished cleaning her friend's body and hair in silence, offering her a bathrobe when she managed to help her stand up. It was extremely difficult for her to hold or pull from her, for Tissaia’s body had too many marks and bruises, so Rita couldn’t touch her safely enough to know that it wouldn't hurt her.</p><p>Margarita left Tissaia sitting on the toilet and went to the room. First, she changed the bed sheets, then she retrieved her bag, panties and Yennefer's hoodie, aware that it was the only thing Tissaia would feel good wearing at the time. When she returned to the bathroom, Tissaia turned her head the opposite side and raised a shaky hand to dry her cheeks, accepting the clothes and, much to her regret, the help to put them on.</p><p> </p><p>"I'll call Calanthe to cancel dinner," Rita whispered, as she knelt in front of Tissaia and changed the bandage on her thigh wound to a dry one. The cut was almost healed, but now it was surrounded by bruises and finger marks. Tissaia was still unable to look her in the face, as she quietly analyzed the floor, "do I call Yennefer or send her a message? Growl for the call, don't do anything for the message," in the absence of an answer, Rita sighed and started disinfecting the chestnut's lower lip, "I'll tell her that dinner has had to be suspended and that you'll explain everything later on, but that this weekend it will be impossible for you to do so… But love, you need to talk to her, she’ll freak out with the text".</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia hissed when Rita passed the cotton with alcohol through her wounded nose, but subtly moved her head to nod. She didn't even have the strength to think about all that, so she would never have words to thank her friend for doing all she did for her. A single tear rolled down Tissaia’s cheek when she thought about how hard it must be for Rita to take care of her, she shouldn’t be bothering, she should just let her die and end all the problems she was causing. Tissaia's eyes closed when Rita began to put suture plasters on her left cheekbone, nose and upper right eyebrow, where there was a cut that had been hidden before, covered by her hair. At some point Rita got up to go to the kitchen, carrying two glasses when she came back; in one there was only water, in the other, several pills turned into powder and dissolved in water.</p><p> </p><p>"Rinse your mouth with this," she gave the glass of water, to which he had added some gin. Tissaia grabbed her arm and gave a sip, spitting out the contents in the sink, as soon as her mouth started to burn. "Again".</p><p> </p><p>The chestnut didn't have the strength to complain, so when the glass leaned back on her lips, she gave a sip and kept the fluid for a few seconds in her mouth, before spitting it out. Both times, the water had come out dyed red, so Rita made her repeat the process twice more, until the amount of staining was almost zero. Then she gave her the other glass and asked her to drink it, as they were pills for pain and inflammation. Margarita took the woman's pulse and then helped her put on the hoodie and go back to the bedroom, releasing her only when she laid her on the bed, sitting next to her.</p><p> </p><p>"Try to sleep, I'll send the messages and call the people," Rita had added muscle relaxants, and Tissaia's body had absorbed some alcohol from the mouthwash, so hopefully it wouldn't be long before she fell asleep.</p><p> </p><p>The blonde covered her friend with the sheets and waited for her body and breathing to relax to stood up and go find Tissaia's phone. She found it lying on the floor of the kitchen, with the screen shattered, so it was going to be impossible for her to write to Yennefer. Her only option was to instruct Calanthe to do so, contacting her from her own phone. Rita began picking up the papers from the ground as the phone communicated, needing to do anything while the brunette took her time to answer. However, one of them caught her eye and distracted her enough to forget the ongoing call.</p><p> </p><p>"Rita?" Calanthe sounded a little confused at the silence of the blonde.</p><p> </p><p>"I need you to come to my house, it's urgent and no, it can't wait".</p><p> </p><p>"What? Are you ok? Did something happen? Is about Tissaia?"</p><p> </p><p>"You just come, please," telling Calanthe what was going on by phone was much worse than keeping her in suspense until she arrived, and probably not doing so would reduce the chance of an accident. With a sigh, the blonde hung up the call ignoring Calanthe’s worried question. She dialed Vanielle's number, talking as soon as her call was answered. "I need you at Tissaia's asap".</p><p> </p><p>"What happened?" Despite the insecurity and confusion of the voice, Rita could hear the woman practically running from where she was. "It she ok?"</p><p> </p><p>"She's asleep," was all she could say.</p><p> </p><p>Vanielle hung up but the blonde knew it would be only a matter of time before she arrived. The biggest problem would be Calanthe,  because the woman had no idea how to tell her everything they had been hiding from her for years. Rita could accept any blow or insult that the brunette directed at her, but she didn't want Tissaia or Vanielle to have to do it too; yet she didn't trust herself to be able to say a single word as soon as the lioness showed up, so she'd need her  best friend to do it. In situations like that one, it was when she felt most powerless and useless, for she was not even able to face Calanthe. Though she've never been.</p><p>With an exhausted sigh, Margarita saved the paper in a pocket and began moving the furniture again to tidy up the living room and try to clear her mind. Her only solace, having alerted her friend, was that she could not be mad at her for not calling her to tell her about the situation. And that wasn't a big argument.</p><p> </p><p>When Vanielle arrived, Rita had not finished placing all the furniture back to its place, so the image offered by the salon was enough to trigger any alarms that had not yet jumped on her body. Dropping her purse on the floor, the brunette looked towards the bedroom as she closed the door behind her, her attention then being drawn to the noise of the chairs as they were dragged across the floor to their original position. Vanielle walked as far as Rita was, her eyebrows frowned with concern and her eyes much more open and darker than usual, but instead of asking, she merely wrapped the blonde tightly in her arms for a few minutes. As hard as Rita tried to look like, Tissaia was possibly one of two people she cared most about in the world —the second having her arms around her at the time—, so Vanielle was more than aware of how much the woman was going to need that moment to vent.</p><p> </p><p>"Calanthe must be about to arrive, I have not told her anything, I have only asked her to come to my house urgently. I will go down within... Tissaia's cell phone is broken, I haven't been able to warn Yennefer, dinner is cancelled," Rita had started shaking again, though it was impossible to know which of all the emotions she felt was the cause. "Tissaia's in her bed, don't go see her before we talk to Calanthe".</p><p> </p><p>"Will she be all right?" Vanielle didn't even know what to ask. If Rita had called Calanthe, the situation must have been very delicate, but if she didn't want her to see Tissaia until they had <em>the talk</em> they had been postponing for weeks... It must have been very, very serious.</p><p> </p><p>Rita nodded, but then shrugged her shoulders, unable to rely on her own words. Vanielle cradled her and made no comment on the fresh tears rolling down her cheeks.</p><p> </p><p>"Did she tell you what happened?" To that second question the blonde softly shook her head, unable to speak, but after a few seconds she pulled out the paper that had been resting on her pocket and showed it to her friend. "Fucking shit".</p><p> </p><p>Vanielle let Rita go to start walking through the living room, fidgeting and restless, taking her hands to her face, passing them through her hair, dropping them... Neither woman spoke, both too unsettled and worried to have something positive to say. They couldn't do anything until they talked to Calanthe, but they both felt the need to act as soon as possible, to try to help, to be more than a burden to Tissaia.</p><p>The sound of the doorbell downstairs made them stood still, causing Vanielle to stop pacing and Rita to leave the last chair in place, slowly and carefully.</p><p> </p><p>"Would you rather stay here?" The brunette had closed the distance between her and her friend and got a hand placed on her cheek; she knew the incredible respect the blonde had for Calanthe, so she understood if she would rather not be present. However, Margarita shook her head, took her hand to leave a kiss on the palm and pulled her out the apartment.</p><p> </p><p>Both women went down the stairs, holding hands with their fingers intertwined, as if that could protect them from what they knew was going to be the greatest amount of anger they were going to witness in all their lives. Neither of them was as aggressively protective with Tissaia as her big sister, and that was saying a lot.</p><p>Calanthe turned to the stairs as she heard the noise of heels, frowning when she saw Vanielle and Margarita come down together hand to hand, pale, with terrible faces and wet cheeks. Tissaia was not with them and that could not be a good signal, much less if at the time, Rita was positioning herself in front of Vanielle and her hands were shaking. The brunette knew that since Tissaia and Rita had started dating, the last one had begun to fear her more than usual —she didn't blame her, Calanthe reduced three men and beat the shit out of them in Cintra because they started going handsy with her sister, earning nothing but a purple cheekbone; she had done so in front of the blonde who had stood still—, if Margarita was acting as human shield…</p><p> </p><p>"Speak before worry kills me, Rita," Calanthe tried to use a soft voice so as not to fret her any more than she already was.</p><p> </p><p>"Let's go inside," Vanielle gently squeezed her friend's hand to urge her to open the door, both being closely followed by Calanthe. Once inside, the woman managed to smile lightly before turning to Rita, "why don't you make tea while I start, love?"</p><p> </p><p>The blonde didn't move until Vanielle gently pushed her, not at all sure she was making the right decision by leaving her. However, Vanielle pointed the sofa at Calanthe, keeping her composure surprisingly well —something that she had tried to from Tissaia over the years— and sat on one of the ends, giving the lioness enough room to hit anything but her.</p><p> </p><p>"Okay, I'm going to need you to do everything I tell you without asking why," Vanielle stuck her eyes on Calanthe's, suddenly serious, "I don't want you to ask or interrupt me until I'm done, no matter how upset you are, because I don't know if I can keep talking, if you do so".</p><p> </p><p>"What the hell is all this about, Vanielle?" Calanthe had seen the woman grow up, she'd known her since she was born, but she'd never seen her being half that serious or talking to anyone like that, so the concern she felt was slowly becoming pure anxiety. "Where is Tissaia?"</p><p> </p><p>"Write to Yennefer and tell her dinner has been cancelled, that Tissaia’s mobile is broken, but she will talk to her as soon as she can. Also tell her that she won’t be able to talk to her until Monday," and she was being positive, for she didn’t really know about the state of her friend.</p><p> </p><p>Calanthe opened her mouth to ask and complain, but the way Vanielle held her breath and tightened her jaw prevented her from doing so. Confused, the woman picked up her phone and started writing to Yennefer exactly what she was told, exiting chat as soon as she did so, knowing she didn't have enough information to answer any questions the young woman had. Vanielle took a deep breath and nodded only once, gathering strength from she didn’t know where.</p><p> </p><p>"You should also let Eist and your mother know that".</p><p> </p><p>That caused Calanthe to frown, but she sent Eist a message telling him there would be no dinner at the end and then one to her mother telling her that it would be best to leave dinner for another day and that she would explain why when she had enough information to do so.</p><p> </p><p>"That's it," she dared to murmur, though now she was also upset that there was someone giving her orders and not sharing information.</p><p> </p><p>Rita returned to her own living room then, in her hands was a tray with three cups of tea, sugar, milk and teaspoons. The blonde left the tray on the table and decided to sit between Vanielle and Calanthe, aware that they had not yet reached the key point and that she would have a chance to prevent the lioness from getting mad at her friend.</p><p> </p><p>"Okay..." Vanielle took a deep breath and closed her eyes, but she didn't speak.</p><p> </p><p>"We're not supposed to tell you about this," Rita leaned forward to grab a cup and put sugar on it, avoiding looking at either woman, "we've known for five years, but she hasn't let us talk about it with anyone. She didn't want you to know, she doesn’t want you to know. She knew you weren't going to take it well and she said it was the only way to protect you and pay back everything you'd done for her," she talked in one go, but she stopped right there, noticing the tense way Calanthe had straightened out.</p><p> </p><p>"Five years is more than enough time to tell something, if it's important," she growled, warning.</p><p> </p><p>"It wasn't our secret, Calanthe... And yet, three weeks ago I wanted to talk to you because neither Ri, nor I were able to keep enduring it," Vanielle had also decided that her cup of tea, now warming her hands, was much more interesting to look at.</p><p> </p><p>"Enduring what?"</p><p> </p><p>"Why do you think Tissaia started dating...?" Rita twisted the gesture, unable to pronounce the name.</p><p> </p><p>"Roggeveen," added the brunette, finding the surname much easier, though she was more keen to use ‘<em>bag of shit’.</em></p><p> </p><p>"Because she drank too much alcohol, took some long-lasting drug or for some kind of advantage, I don't know, she never wanted to tell me and she was always upset when I asked her," the brunette complained, crossing her arms and leaning back on the sofa, "I even thought that because she was pregnant or something, but there was never a baby. Still, none of those things sound like something she would do," she acknowledged, unsettled. Why were they asking her that?</p><p> </p><p>"He was blackmailing her," Vanielle tightened her fingers over the cup, feeling, without seeing, the woman's head spinning in her direction abruptly, "the patient who committed suicide… Well, we don't think she killed herself, but someone did, and Vilgefortz took the file. She threatened Tissaia to publish it, saying all that happened to the patientwas her fault and that, having left the patient alone, she had killed her".</p><p> </p><p>"Losing a patient may seem normal," Rita muttered, after drinking her whiskey with tea, "but knowing that someone killed her, just because you weren't looking and you couldn't protect the person you were trying to save..." The blonde was startled to feel a hand on her shoulder and shook her head surprised to see that it was Calanthe's. Her eyes instantly moistened, "I understood that Tissaia could feel guilty about losing someone in her care, I didn't know he was blackmailing her, so I thought she was using him as an escape route, even if I didn't understand how or why… I mean, he is a man".</p><p> </p><p>"He basically told her dozens of ways in which making that information going public would ruin her career, her life and that of her family, when they associated her last name," Vanielle added, though she was interrupted when Calanthe stood up furiously.</p><p> </p><p>"We wouldn't have allowed it... There would always have been another option, another city, another job, even Nenneke could have taken care of it," Calanthe started to pace around the room.</p><p> </p><p>"That was only the beginning, although Tissaia left medicine anyway, she felt like shit for the girl death," the younger brunette continued, "as far as we know, Ti realized she could live without her career soon after, but then Roggeveen began threatening some people. Rita, you, me... Tissaia began to distance herself from us because she was afraid that, if she stayed too much by our side, he would do something to us… As he had done with her patient," Vanielle took the cup to her lips and drank to clear her throat, not at all surprised to taste the alcohol on it. Anyone present could feel Calanthe's anger and hatred radiate at that moment, so it was now or never. "He has been hitting her. From the beginning".</p><p> </p><p>The silence only made the anger and anxiety grow.</p><p> </p><p>"Where the fuck is my sister?!" Calanthe shouted.</p><p> </p><p>"Tissaia is sleeping, I drugged her. The bag of shit is on a flight to Redania," Rita explained, while standing up to go to the door and lock it, before Calanthe tried to get out.</p><p> </p><p>"Open the fucking door, Margarita," when the brunette approached her dangerously, looking at her from above, she seemed to measure three meters and be a furious, bloodthirsty titan.</p><p> </p><p>"N-no…"</p><p> </p><p>"I'm not done talking yet, Calanthe, I told you not to interrupt me, so please shut the fuck up, sit the fuck down and listen to me," Vanielle's voice was so calm and freezing that Rita began to doubt which of the two women was most scary at the time. Apparently, the lioness decided that in her case it was Vanielle, as she recoiled and approached the sofa again, leaving a trembling Margarita leaning against the door. "Despite the threats, Tissaia wanted to leave him and was willing to do so, thinking that he would not dare do anything to us, but when, at the Christmas party five years ago, in Cintra, you made a fool of him," Vanielle paused and took air very slowly, her face scraping on inexpressivity, "he told Tissaia there would be consequences and that the next time you said something that embarrassed him, you'd have an unfortunate accident".</p><p> </p><p>Both women saw all color and life leave Calanthe's body when she realized that, by the time, the threat had not end just in words. If he had tried to kill her, or her real target had been Pavetta, it was a mystery. Calanthe dropped on the ground, when her knees were not enough to bear her weight; Tissaia had tried to tell her that, five years ago, but she had downplayed her and hadn't even stopped to listen to her. She couldn't even be furious that she hadn't told her, not when she knew how hard those things turned out to be to her, not when it was Calanthe’s fault, for not taking her seriously and blame it all on the pain.</p><p>To the surprise of the three women, it was Rita who approached Calanthe, kneeling beside her, and wrapped her with both arms. For some reason, the brunette had the feeling that she was trying to hold her and not just comforting her, but that was a stupid thought, wasn't it?</p><p> </p><p>"The accident affected her much more than we thought," Vanielle swallowed hard, "and Tissaia concluded that the safest thing for all of us would be..."</p><p> </p><p>"Don’t you fucking dare to end that sentence, Brugge…" Calanthe warned, so it was the blonde who did it.</p><p> </p><p>"She knew the exact dose of dimeritium she would need," Rita whispered, her eyes closed, "she was on the cliff of Sodden Hill when we found her, if we hadn't held her just in time…" Her voice broke.</p><p> </p><p>"Rita took care of the poisoning, but by holding her so she wouldn't jump, we realized she had some injuries. We brought her to Rita's house and that's when we found out he was beating her," Vanielle put the empty cup aside. We said it was a very strong flu that had affected her vocal cords, we took care of her as best as we could until, little by little, she came back to herself and told us everything".</p><p> </p><p>"She was afraid that, knowing everything, we would do something that would put us in danger".</p><p> </p><p>"But we already have the murder planned," Vanielle reported, with complete peace of mind, taking a cigarette off her pocket and lighting it.</p><p> </p><p>"Before, while I was closing some wounds on her, she tried to tell me not to tell you anything. That piece of shit could have left her in a coma, killed her or sent her to the hospital, but the only thing that worried Tissaia was that you didn't find out anything. She wants you safe".</p><p> </p><p>"It's not personal, Calanthe, but we all know you and we know that right now all you want is to remove each of Vilgefortz's organs in alphabetical order and without anesthesia," the brunette bit the inside of her cheek. Calanthe had not moved a single inch, her eyes were closed and some tears rolling down her cheeks. Obviously, Rita was holding her and just hoping she wouldn’t kick her away, so she had to control herself. "Don't blame her for anything, please, she just wanted to protect you... You, Eist, Adalia, Rita, me... And now also Triss and Ciri," although she wasn't sure it was the best time to add that last name, it was the only one they would have.</p><p> </p><p>Calanthe clenched her jaw tightly and took a deep breath. That bastard a had not only threatened her life or that of her husband, but had killed her daughter, left her granddaughter orphan —and was now also threatening, her— but had completely ruined Tissaia's life, had been about to have her killed herself, had been abusing her for eleven years… Vilgefortz could run, yes, but the universe wasn't going to expand itself fast enough for he to run away from her. From them.</p><p> </p><p>"Why now?" She asked when she realized they could have told he at any time in five years.</p><p> </p><p>"We wanted to tell you earlier, even more since he threatened Ciri three weeks ago," Vanielle confessed.</p><p> </p><p>"Yennefer was here, correcting exams with me, I sent her home when I started hearing some noises," Rita explained for the two women surprise, "today he's been very close to sending her to the hospital. If some blows had hit her two centimeters higher or a little stronger..."</p><p> </p><p>She didn't need to say any more so that Calanthe understood how close Tissaia had been not to get out alive from her last encounter with Vilgefortz.</p><p> </p><p>"The leg wound was also his, it was a very delicate situation," Vanielle added, "if she hadn't called Rita in time".</p><p> </p><p>"I need to see her," Calanthe whispered, her voice on a breaking point.</p><p> </p><p>"Promise me you won't yell at her or take it against her," the blonde's arms were still holding the brunette, but the lioness now fully understood why. Until that point, she had never noticed how much those two women really cared about Tissaia and now she knew everything they did to protect her; even if that meant confronting the terrifying Lioness of Cintra.</p><p> </p><p>"I know it's not her fault," Calanthe took one of her hands to Rita's cheek and then kissed her forehead, "it’s okay, I'll take care of it from here".</p><p> </p><p>Calanthe did not know if it was the soft tone of her voice or the affectionate gesture towards the blonde, but Margarita's facade broke within three seconds, causing her to start shaking and crying heartbrokenly. Vanielle barely took a few more seconds, burying her face in her hands, until the eldest extended an arm, waiting for her to approach and join that atypical embrace.</p><p>She couldn't imagine how hard those years should have been for the two women, how difficult it had been to see Tissaia injured at every level imaginable, without being able to do anything to prevent it, taking care of her wounds and hugging her when possible. Not to mention the ovaries they had had to put up with that without killing Vilgemort, while lying to her. One way or another, Calanthe was ten years older than Vanielle and thirteen years older than Rita, so in some way it was her duty to take care of them, even if she sucked on affectionate gestures and the soft words. For this reason, she hugged them both tightly and allowed them to let go of everything that they had been holding for five years.</p><p>Despite Calanthe's killing need to go looking for her sister, she was unable to leave those two women behind, not until they calmed down a little. The woman could be a complete beast sometimes —and the gods helped Vilgefortz to remain hidden from her— but Rita and Vanielle deserved more than enough that Calanthe showed them her softer, tenderer side, however difficult or clumsy it was for her to do so.</p><p>With one head resting on each shoulder, but two women much calmer and beginning to recompose, Calanthe slowly breathed and finished organizing some of the overflowing, chaotic thoughts that invaded her head. For the time being, she would only disclose that information to her mother, if she had the chance; she was confident that she would let her do something, but she seriously doubted it. Still, her priority was to protect Tissaia and to be with her, no matter what.</p><p> </p><p>"I'll make something up so Yennefer doesn't freak out, because she will and probably already has. And I'll call Eist so he opens Cintra tonight as if nothing happened," Calanthe's voice was much more serious and intense than usual, but neither of them moved, "you should rest for a while".</p><p> </p><p>"Can you talk to Triss? I can't tell that poor child what happened".</p><p> </p><p>"That child is only nine years younger than me, Va," Rita protested, though she called her that on more than one occasion.</p><p> </p><p>"Triss? Tissaia’s assistant?" Calanthe frowned.</p><p> </p><p>"She heard us talking to Tissaia a month ago. She heard enough for Tissaia to recognize that Vilgefortz was abusing her, and when her life started to be in danger, I told her some details," the blonde closed her eyes again.</p><p> </p><p>"And she's like a daughter to Tissaia," Vanielle added, "Triss thinks of her as a mother. Sometimes Ti is colder and crueler to her in public to keep Vilgefortz away, but she really loves her, and she is family," she knew Calanthe wouldn’t need anything else but that three last words.</p><p> </p><p>"I thought she was telling me everything," Calanthe murmured, for between Triss, Vilgefortz and Yennefer, she almost felt that her sister had closed up a lot.</p><p> </p><p>"Everything she could, but she was terrified," Rita whispered, moving a hand to pull the paper out of her pocket, "she was scared that by telling you something, you would be just in more danger. What she worried the most was the fact that something went wrong with you, that she’d lose you, maybe because he’d kill you, maybe because you’d hate her," the blonde unrolled the paper and showed it to Calanthe.</p><p> </p><p>"Shit," the brunette growled.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Heartbreak</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Last chapter summarized: Rita and Yen were correcting exams when they heard noises from upstairs (it was Vilgefortz beating Tissaia), Rita went to check, helped Tissaia with her wounds (they both cried), called Vanielle and Calanthe. Vanielle and Rita told Calanthe about what had been happening for years and Calanthe is angry and worried as fuck.</p><p>Now, since some of you looked like really interested on keep reading, I'll drop this chapter by and then return to the weekly update until I'm done with exams and essays. This is not like a huge move on the plot, but with all the angst, some comfort is always neccesary.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The paper Rita had collected from the ground was a printed photo in which Tissaia was kissing a black-haired woman in Cintra, possibly the night before, when they had both been there having a drink with Calanthe and Eist. There had been many few people for it was Thursday, and they had been challenged by Ciri to kiss, as the girl could not believe that her aunt had a girlfriend. The only one capable of locating that photo at a particular time was Calanthe, but that was not what worried her... What alarmed her was the fact that someone had followed Tissaia to Cintra, that she had been exposed at one of the few safe places she had, that the man who abused her knew about her relationship with Yennefer. Her heart stopped for a moment, but after a little more analysis she realized that Tissaia's left hand covered her girlfriend's face in a very precise way, so that it was not recognizable from any angle other than the inner side of the bar. Even without being aware of the real danger then, Tissaia had been careful and had tried to protect Yennefer.</p><p>It took almost a minute for Calanthe to realize that surely that photo had been the trigger for what had happened, but also that Vilgefortz would now keep an eye on their entire family, the bar and, above all, his sister. Fuck. If Tissaia didn't talk to Yennefer soon, the brunette would go find her at Cintra, as she always did when they both had little time to meet.</p><p> </p><p>"It's best to get rid of that," Calanthe whispered, and both women nodded. "You try to act like nothing happened, I'll take care of Triss and Yennefer".</p><p> </p><p>"But..." Vanielle frowned</p><p> </p><p>"I know that you love her and that you care about her, but you have done much more than anyone could ask of you, let me have your backs now. I’ll take care of her for a few days," Calanthe rested her lips on the foreheads of each of the women. "I don’t blame her. I know she was just trying to keep us safe. She'll be fine, I promise".</p><p> </p><p>Neither Margarita nor Vanielle were very sure of that, but they ended up nodding and leaning back to stand up and then help the eldest do the same. None said another word, Calanthe simply took the keys Rita offered her and left the apartment to go upstairs, using the blonde's keys to open the door.</p><p>She stopped to pick Vanielle's bag off the floor and place it on the cabinet of the hall, shaking her head; that girl would lose her head someday. Calanthe continued to walk heading to the bedroom, but she stayed at the door for a moment, leaning against the frame as she watched the figure of Tissaia, her back at the door. She could see her profile and with it a swollen eye, the points of the cheekbone, the purple circle in that area... The brunette almost thanked that Vanielle had remembered going up to pick up her purse, turning her head towards the door when she heard her. She knew there wouldn’t have been any other thing that would have made her stop looking at Tissaia.</p><p>In silence, Vanielle ended up closing the door behind her and approaching where Calanthe was to take a quick look at her friend and just confirm she was still alive. A drowned cry escaped from her throat just by looking at the image of her profile, causing the eldest to rise her head and look at her in the face.</p><p> </p><p>"Rita hasn't let me see her before," she explained in a whisper. Now she understood why her friend had told her that seeing the state Tissaia was in, before Calanthe arrived, was a bad idea.</p><p> </p><p>"Perhaps it would have been better if you did not see her at all, honey," the woman surrounded Vanielle with one arm as she said that; both were aware that it was much worse than they could see from there, but it was not necessary to say it aloud. Calanthe admired anyone who knew how to do things she was incapable of, and doctors had always been one of many cases; however, Rita had had her ovaries to treat the wounds and the condition of Tissaia, after finding her much worse than she should be now... That woman deserved all her respect and affection. She needed to make sure the blonde just knew how grateful she was.</p><p> </p><p>"I just wanted to..." Vanielle didn't finish the sentence, looking down.</p><p> </p><p>"Make sure she was still breathing?" Offered Calanthe, understanding the feeling, and the woman just nodded. "I'll let you know if anything happens, go home to Keira," she added, leaving a kiss on the dark strands, "plus we have a great doctor downstairs, you don’t need to worry".</p><p> </p><p>"It's okay... But what we've said before was serious, we want to kill him".</p><p> </p><p>Vanielle split up, noticing the woman's body much tighter than a few seconds earlier. She and Rita had thought that Calanthe would agree, and they had even thought of asking Nenneke for help, if anyone found out about the murdering; they had come to the conclusion that it would be easier for them to live with that death in their consciences than with Tissaia's suffering. However, Calanthe sketched a small, somewhat sad smile, as if she knew something that the rest did not.</p><p> </p><p>"Forget that and trust me, please. He won’t go unpunished, but you mustn’t do anything".</p><p> </p><p>Vanielle was not sure of that, but she had already tempted her luck too much that day, to continue pricking the lioness with a stick; she didn't want to end with her head ripped off, thank you very much.</p><p> </p><p>"Rita told me she can't talk, I haven't asked why, but keep that in mind," said that, she offered Tissaia's shattered phone to the eldest. "Text when she wakes up; she won’t stand much physical contact, be careful; don't overwhelm her too much; don’t mention him; try not to talk about her state; don’t…"</p><p> </p><p>"It’s okay, Vanielle, calm down. I know her".</p><p> </p><p>"It’s a different her…"</p><p> </p><p>"I know, dear, just trust me".</p><p> </p><p>Needless to say, Vanielle left a kiss on Calanthe's cheek and left. Rita probably wouldn't take long before she went upstairs to check that everything was in order, so the best thing the older one could do was take that time to try and relax. She had a lot to think about and, if Vilgefortz was really responsible for Pavetta's death... In that case, she'd ask for a couple of favors so she let her torture him.</p><p>With slow movements, Calanthe took off her shoes and walked to bed, laying on it carefully not to move the woman, sticking to her back and passing an arm down her waist to hug her from behind, her forehead resting against the chestnut strands. She knew Tissaia wouldn’t want her to see her like that; she hated when people saw her being vulnerable, so this was a basic step to take with her. Calanthe took a deep breath when one of Tissaia's hands took hers and moved it to her cheek, so that her limb would end up hugged between her arms.</p><p> </p><p>"I didn't know you were awake," though Tissaia didn't move or open her eyes, she squeezed her hand with some force and with it the brunette knew she was crying, "shhhh, take it easy, kiddo. I'm here," she whispered against her hair, "everything's going to be okay, I'm going to protect you from him," Calanthe put her lips on Tissaia's head. "I won’t let him come near you again. You’ll be safe".</p><p> </p><p>"But..." The voice too hoarse and clumsy, which looked more like a whining than a word, caused Calanthe's whole body to tighten.</p><p> </p><p>"But nothing, Tissaia, he’s not ever going to come close to you again," the younger woman’s body began to tremble because of those words. "And he's not going to touch our family either," Calanthe sighed and softened her voice, "now you are going to rest, my little skylark, and let me take care of everything".</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia tried to take a deep breath, just to shrink for the jab of pain and clench her jaw. Her ribs were not broken, luckily, but it had been so close that the pain was difficult to bear. Calanthe knew she was probably crying, unaware of the wound, so she kept quiet and continued to hug her, not understanding how anyone could do something that cruel to someone as small and beautiful as her sister. At first, Calanthe allowed herself a few minutes to cry and hug Tissaia, needing to release some of the emotions that had accumulated inside her; however, a little later and after a  sigh, she began to sing to Tissaia the same song that she always sang to calm her down, until she was sure she had fallen asleep, because she did not want her listening to all the conversations she was going to have, and she did not want to leave her alone either.</p><p>Calanthe wasn’t sure of how Tissaia had managed to avoid the <em>drugging</em> Rita had said, but something told her that her sister body was too used to whatever the blonde had given her that Rita just miscalculated the dose due to the lack of knowledge.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>The first person Calanthe called, using her free arm, was Triss. She struggled with horrors to find a way to get the assistant's contact sent to her own phone, using the second device to call her, for Tissaia’s was so shattered that the letters were almost impossible to read. Triss did not pick up the first, nor the second call, but it was answered at the third attempt; however, it was not the voice of a stranger that Calanthe heard on the other side of the line, but one she knew as well as her own granddaughter’s.</p><p> </p><p>"Whoever it is, we don't want to attend sect meetings, change phone companies, or buy encyclopedias. We also don’t want new dildos or to change our religion. We're busy trying to have sex, thank you very much and good afternoon".</p><p> </p><p>Sabrina's exasperated voice had taken the brunette by surprise, but Calanthe hurried to speak, saying the first thing that crossed her mind, however stupid it was, to avoid the blonde to hang up.</p><p> </p><p>"Sabrina?"</p><p> </p><p>The blonde across the line went pale, frowned and sought a more comfortable position, in which she was not crushing her girlfriend. Unable to answer anything meaningful, Sabrina asked back.</p><p> </p><p>"Calanthe?"</p><p> </p><p>"Indeed… Though maybe I’ll think about selling dildos. Anyway, excuse me, I think I've mistaken your number. I'm sorry I interrupted your sexual activities, but say hi to your girlfriend for me," the brunette joked, though according to the contact, that was supposed to be Triss' number.</p><p> </p><p>"Well, this isn't really my mobile..."</p><p> </p><p>"Give me that," Triss was heard whispering in the background.</p><p> </p><p>"You're not sleeping with my sister's assistant", and apparently niece, "by any chance, are you?"</p><p> </p><p>The silence that followed that question was interrupted by a gentle laugh and the blonde's mocking voice.</p><p> </p><p>"Triss, you can't be ashamed every time someone talks about our sex life".</p><p> </p><p>"I can and I will!" She complained in a soft, high-pitched voice. "This... Uhm… Hello, Mrs. De Vries... I mean… Mrs. Tuirseach… Excuse my girlfriend, she's an idiot..."</p><p> </p><p>"Hm, I know she is, that idiot works for me, so she’s kind of my idiot too," the brunette smiled, "although you should stop by Cintra some night so we can introduce ourselves properly... Anyway, two things. The first one: call me just Calanthe, please, I'm not that old and I didn’t change my surname, by the way, Eist did. And the second: if it’s a bad time I’ll better call you later, I wouldn't want to stop you and Sabrina from fucking each other. Young people should enjoy life," several background laughs told the brunette that Triss was getting more and more blushed, so Calanthe continued to talk, now much more serious. "Out of jokes, I mean it, if it's a bad time, I prefer to..."</p><p> </p><p>"No, whatever it is, it must be important if you have my number. If you wanted to talk to Sabrina you would have called her, so… What is it?" Triss took a deep breath, as she laid down against Sabrina, leaving the speaker on.</p><p> </p><p>"I just don't even know where to start..." Calanthe murmured, closing her eyes and aspiring the smell of vanilla and oak, feeling a bit better just with that, "I'm calling you because Vanielle and Rita have asked me to do it, but I don't even know how to tell you that… They told me you already knew something about it, that you heard them talking about…"</p><p> </p><p>"Is she...?" Suddenly, the chestnut voice had become a trembling whisper which could not end that sentence. Sabrina was looking at her with concern, although she was unable to ask her what was wrong or what were they talking about.</p><p> </p><p>"She’s alive and she'll be fine, but..." Calanthe's snort was audible from across the line and caused Tissaia to move very slightly. What neither had expected was to hear Triss's failed attempt to contain a soothing. "Rita said she will recover, calm down... Sabrina, hug your girlfriend, please".</p><p> </p><p>Sabrina was doing just that, so she tightened her arms around Triss with a little more strength and kissed her shoulder.</p><p> </p><p>"What's going on?" She asked, so that both her girlfriend and Calanthe would hear her.</p><p> </p><p>"I can't..." Triss whispered, but the brunette cut her right away.</p><p> </p><p>"Vilgefortz has beaten Tissaia, only you, Rita, Vanielle, and I know it, and I'd rather it continued to be like this," the tone the brunette used was final, so Sabrina didn't dare say anything else. It had been a clear warning. "I need you to go to work tonight like nothing happened and try to cover our absence, I know you've improved a lot this past month".</p><p> </p><p>"I had a wonderful teacher," the blonde murmured, and Calanthe wondered for a moment if she had also started crying. Sabrina was not the crying type so it would be completely out of character for her; still, probably she was.</p><p> </p><p>"Give her a couple of weeks and she'll tell you again that the proportions of the drinks are wrong and that you’ll poison someone," the brunette smiled, "Triss, could you take care of this week's classes? If Stregobor tells you anything, you send it to Vanielle or Rita, hopefully he doesn't get out of their offices alive".</p><p> </p><p>"Yes, no problem, but..." Triss bit her lower lip, "can I talk to her when she has a moment?"</p><p> </p><p>"Vanielle said Rita told her she can't talk..."</p><p> </p><p>"A text? Or… Can I go see her?" The young woman didn't even bother to disguise the concern.</p><p> </p><p>"I don't think she’s going to like it, but if you really need it, come tomorrow," Calanthe smiled slightly, "it would be best if we kept up all appearances and continued to act as before".</p><p> </p><p>"All right," Sabrina said, before picking up the mobile and turning off the speaker. She stood up, ignoring her girlfriend's confused gaze and her own nudity, moving as far away from Triss as possible, "do you want me to bring you anything? Are you sure you don't want me to tell her anything?"</p><p> </p><p>"I was going to call her now, I can't think of any worthwhile excuses, but something tells me that Tissaia isn't prepared to tell anyone about this. Much less her," the brunette sighed, "I'll ask her what she wants me to do, but don't say anything, just in case. As for bringing something..."</p><p> </p><p>Calanthe told the blonde a couple of things, hoping she could get them and then said goodbye to her, trying not to give her any more trouble. As she took the phone off from her ear, she saw a new notification from Yennefer, along with seven other messages she had not read or responded to. She didn't know what to tell her, but she had to do something. The woman waited a few more minutes, before beginning to leave some gentle caresses on Tissaia's hair, not wanting to startle or wake her up abruptly.</p><p> </p><p>"Kiddo..." Calanthe's whisper was soft, but enough to wake chestnut, "hey, little skylark..."</p><p> </p><p>"Mhm?" Was all Tissaia managed to say, opening her good eye after a moment.</p><p> </p><p>"Your girlfriend is hysterical," added the brunette, keeping the same tone of voice, "I don't want to lie to her, but I don't know what to say to her either".</p><p> </p><p>"Phone?" Tissaia let go of her sister's hand, which she was still holding and was already numb for the older, as well as the arm she had hugged until then.</p><p> </p><p>With great difficulty Tissaia began to move to turn, forgetting for a moment that Calanthe had not yet looked her in the face, nor appreciated the marks on her neck. Each of her actions was slow and caused pain somewhere in her body, but Tissaia was able to assess the risks of each movement with precision, so that was allowed. The woman frowned, ignoring the pain this caused her in the wound of her forehead and swollen eye, finding herself with tearful eyes and a horrified face in front of her. Calanthe's lower lip was trapped between her teeth tightly, but her chin trembled anyway.</p><p>It took Tissaia a moment to realize what had caused such a reaction in her sister, so she was silently cursing a lot of things. Carefully, she took her right hand to Calanthe's cheek and stroked it gently, cleaning a couple of tears that had escaped through her eye and came down to her nose. The chestnut tilted her head forward, until her forehead was rested against that of the other woman and she did her best to try to speak.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm... Fine," those two words were dragged by her tongue and sounded too hoarse and forced, so Calanthe gave the woman her mobile and closed her eyes, trying to hide her tears, "there’s… N-thin’… More… Hid…" Tissaia breathed a couple of times, unable to end the setence.</p><p> </p><p>"I know," Calanthe whispered, doing her best to wipe all the tears away, "I love you, little skylark".</p><p> </p><p>"Love… You too," managed the chestnut, cuddling against her sister while starting to type on the mobile.</p><p> </p><p>Calanthe knew Tissaia was hurt, she knew she had seen absolutely nothing, but those bruises on her neck, her lip split her almost broken nose, the wound in her forehead... Now she understood why Rita had told Vanielle to warn her that Tissaia couldn't talk, Calanthe wasn't even sure how she could keep breathing.</p><p> </p><p><em>'I'm fine, Cal, really, it's just a couple of bruises, it's not like I'm going to die or anything</em>.'</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia showed her sister the phone, waiting for her to open her eyes and getting a furious look in return. She sighed and looked down with gilt.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>'I'm sorry I didn't tell you anything. I don't know what you've been told, but I promise I'll explain it properly as soon as I can talk like a normal person and stop sounding like a drunk Stregobor.'</em>
</p><p> </p><p>"There are many things we need to talk about," the brunette agreed, then returned the phone after reading the second message written in the notebook. "What do I do with Yennefer?"</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia took the phone back, but she didn't write anything on it. She simply entered the text app and Yennefer's conversation to read her latest messages.</p><p> </p><p>Calanthe's last two messages said: <em>'She prefers black lace, though she’d probably rip it off anyway'. </em>And<em>, 'Uh, Yen. There will be no dinner</em> <em>tonight, something happened and we had to cancel it. I'm warning you as the very good sister-in-law I am, because my sis' mobile is broken and she can't'</em></p><p>
  
</p><p><em>'Has something serious happened?' 'Are you alright?' 'What about her?' 'Calanthe?'</em> <em>'Are you with her?' 'Please, just tell me if she's okay.' 'I promise I'll stop bothering you as soon as I know she's okay.'</em></p><p>
  
</p><p>With a sigh, Tissaia began writing directly in the conversation.</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>'Yen, dear, it's me.'</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>'Thank the gods.' 'I was worried.' 'Are you alright?' 'Where are you?' 'Can I call you?’ ‘Do you need help?’ ‘What happened?'</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>The chestnut closed her eyes for a few seconds. She trusted Calanthe, yes, but she wasn't going to risk endangering the woman she loved.</p><p>
  
</p><p><em>'I'm fine, but my phone fell across the street and when I realized it, a few cars had gone over it.' </em>Tissaia swallowed the knot in her throat.<em> 'I know I shouldn't tell you this by message, but I'm sure I wouldn't be able to do it in person and I need to.' 'I think we should end our relationship here before any of us gets hurt.' </em>And if she only cared about the brunette being hurt, it wasn’t necessary to be mentioned.<em> 'It's the best thing for both of us.' 'We both know you deserve better than me.' ‘I am a married woman and whatever we had was doomed since it started’. ‘I’m sure you’ll find someone who will make you happy’. 'I hope you can understand that.' 'I'm really sorry to hurt you, but you're young, you'll get over it.'</em></p><p>
  
</p><p>She had to stop before sending the 'I love you' she had written, for it would only end up throwing away everything she was trying to do at the time. Now she understood why some people were saying crazy things like the world was ending or their hearts breaking. Definitely her heart had just shattered into a thousand pieces and it had left a void inside of her… And the fact that Tissaia de Vries could feel something deep enough to say her heart was breaking an probably wouldn’t work again, was a very strong description of what was happening.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I didn't say I was done with the angst, did I? I'm sorry, remember I love you &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Possibilities</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello again and thank you so much for still being here and reading.</p><p>I don't dare to say this is fluffy or comfort after last chapter, so I'll just let you read it without any hint and hope you'll enjoy it anyway. Answers will come and things will start to find their place.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Calanthe had been looking at her sister's face and, as soon as she saw the way she looked at the phone, as if the world was ending before her eyes, she looked at her like she was crazy, ripped off the device from her hands and started reading.</p><p> </p><p>"Oh no, no, no fucking way Tissaia Fiona Elen de Vries," she muttered, really angry, and separating herself from the youngest, "you're not going to lose the only person who's made you happy after eleven years because of that fucking piece of shit".</p><p> </p><p>And, having said that, Calanthe got out of bed, started dialing Yennefer's number on the phone and left the room. She locked herself in the bathroom, to make sure her sister didn't interrupt her and she did not give Yennefer time to speak or ask, talking at the same time the beep indicated that she had picked up the call.</p><p> </p><p>"I haven't even seen what she told you, I don’t care what it was, but I bet it was something about breaking up," silence was enough response, so Calanthe kept talking, "I can't tell you what happened, not on the phone, but I need you to listen to me very carefully".</p><p> </p><p>"What's going on?" Yennefer sounded quite upset and it was obvious she was crying.</p><p> </p><p>"I just told you I can't tell you..." The woman rolled her eyes and leaned against the door; Yennefer was acting as she had done before, while Rita and Vanielle tried to talk to her, so she couldn’t blame her, "but listen to me, you can't go to Cintra for now, stay away from the bar and from any of the places you've been going with my sister, okay? Stay away from anything that might link you to her".</p><p> </p><p>"What? Why?"</p><p> </p><p>"Yennefer, I promise I'll tell you, even if she doesn't want to," and that idea was making her feel really bad and guilty, if she was honest, because it was pretty much the same as betraying Tissaia's trust, "just do as I say and trust me in this one".</p><p> </p><p>"So...?" Yennefer sniffed through her nose and ran a hand down her cheeks.</p><p> </p><p>"So, until I tell you anything else, you're still my sister-in-law," she said. "Let's just say her husband knows she's cheating on him… She tried to break up because she thought it was the right thing to do and the better option for you, but she didn't want to, and I'm not going to let her do it unless she really wants to. You know she really loves you, right?"</p><p> </p><p>"I hope so… Can I talk to her?"</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer's voice was so weak and sounded so worried that Calanthe came close to saying yes, forgetting about everything else, until she remembered that Tissaia could not speak.</p><p> </p><p>"She can't talk, she's got something in her throat, but as soon as you two calm down, I’ll give her back the phone, so you can keep writing to her," exhausted, she let her body slip through the door and to the ground, sitting with her knees shrunk and glued to her chest.  "Now, promise me you'll stay away until further notice".</p><p> </p><p>"I… Okay, but," Yennefer stopped for a moment, and then continued anyway, "tell her I love her, please".</p><p> </p><p>A small, warm smile appeared on Calanthe's lips.</p><p> </p><p>"I will. And you can be sure she loves you too, Yen. She’s not the kind of person that says something she doesn’t feel and even when she does feel it, it’s very hard for her. Good night."</p><p> </p><p>"Good night."</p><p> </p><p>The woman hung up and left the phone on the floor next to her, her eyes closed. She was completely exhausted even if she had done nothing but cry and lie down, making sure her sister kept breathing. Still, she felt as if someone had had the courtesy to beat her up too, all her strength and vitality completely gone. More or less, that's what had happened. Hurting Tissaia was hurting Calanthe, but the awareness that it had been passing before her eyes for years, without her realizing it…</p><p> </p><p>"Cal..."</p><p> </p><p>The brunette opened her eyes as she heard the scratchy whisper and stared to the front. Rita's briefcase was still open on the ground, some gauze with blood and wrappers discarded on the ground. With a sigh, Calanthe saved her phone on the pocket, stood up and came to pick up all that, before she listened to Tissaia, on the other side of the door; the brunette was still too upset to be able to face her and maintain her poise. She was not Tissaia, Nenneke or Rita, she was so emotional it could be scary sometimes. Thus, it took Calanthe two minutes before she returned to the door and opened it, encountering the chestnut resting on the opposite wall, looking in her direction with concern. Her arms, torso and less than half of her thighs were covered by the hoodie, but her legs also featured finger marks and some bruises caused by bumps, in addition to the partially concealed bandage.</p><p>Tissaia could feel her sister's gaze stuck in each of the marks her movements revealed and, although a part of her just wanted to wrap herself in a sheet and hide, she knew it would be best to let Calanthe confirm the idea that she hadn't even seen the worst part; although she also had no intention of letting her to completely seeing her, for the gods would free her from taking off more clothes in the presence of the brunette.</p><p>It had passed at least three minutes before Calanthe stopped looking at the marks on the woman's body and looked back at her eyes, her jaw tense and both hands clenched in fists on her sides. Tissaia's eyes shone aqueously, but no tears were allowed to fall from them and, instead, she took a few steps to reach Calanthe and collide with her, ignoring the pain of her face by touching the older woman body, despite she could not manage to rise her arms and hug her sister. The brunette's arms soon surrounded Tissaia with great care, her body taking a while to relax, for that state would not help her prevent the chestnut from suffering more. She wasn’t going to allow anyone to take Tissaia away from her, not as they did with Pavetta; she would protect her and Ciri at all cost.</p><p> </p><p>"You’ll... Tell..." Tissaia stopped, needing to swallow and catch air, aware that forcing her throat wouldn't do her any good, but needing the answer, "mom?"</p><p> </p><p>Instead of responding, Calanthe left a kiss on the woman’s head and let her go to take one step back and stare at her in silence. It was clear that Tissaia didn't want her to, but that was the only way.</p><p> </p><p>"You shouldn't be out of bed, I don't even know how you can move," she gestured her head out, "come on, you have to rest".</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia's gaze showed that she did not want to rest, it was obvious that the last thing she wanted was to be alone with her own mind, so Calanthe accompanied her to the room in silence —ignoring the way she walked, because it gave even more information to the brunette and if her blood continued to boil that way, she would not survive the night to murder the disgrace her sister had married— and tucked her in, once she laid down on the bed.</p><p> </p><p>"Now, you wait here, and I’ll go get your computer, fine?"</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia didn’t answer at once but she did eventually.</p><p> </p><p>"Fine".</p><p> </p><p>True to her word, Calanthe left the room and came back a couple of minutes later with Tissaia's computer. She left it on the bed and looked at her with a wrinkled nose.</p><p> </p><p>"I refuse to see romantic comedies, they are pure shit. I'm going to make popcorn, and then we're going to order pizza for dinner and chocolate ice cream for dessert".</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia nodded with a small movement of her head and moved enough to pick up the computer, open it and start looking for a movie or series that they could both like. She knew Calanthe had only being joking about not wanting romances —she always spoiled her with everything, so she'd probably see one if Tissaia chose it—, but she still decided on a movie that seemed pretty interesting, something about an Old Guard; what could she say? She was only human and they both had a crush on the actress of the main character. When the brunette came back with a bowl full of popcorn, Tissaia was lying down again and the film ready to go, just needing either of them to press play.</p><p> </p><p>"I already ordered the pizza," whispered the brunette, placing the popcorn between the two, "do you need chocolate? Ice? Heat? Cushions?"</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia denied and tried to sketch a small smile, but she couldn’t due to the pain in her face, she left a kiss on Calanthe's cheek, barely rubbing her cheek with her lips.</p><p> </p><p>"Just you," she finally managed.</p><p> </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>Triss had been on the edge of having a nervous breakown since Calanthe had called. She needed to see Tissaia with her own eyes and make sure she was okay, that she was still alive... After the fear she felt when she saw the blood-stained room and everything Rita had told her about Vilgefortz, a part of the young woman lived in constant fear that at any moment someone would call her to tell her Tissaia was dead.</p><p>She hadn't been able to sleep, let alone when Sabrina had had to go to work; so, she spent the night in the living room, accompanied by Yennefer, who was also apparently tired of spinning around in bed without falling asleep. At first, Triss had pretended to go to the bathroom, when she left the room and found the brunette sitting on the sofa, but upon returning, her worried expression and the constant fidgeting of her hands and legs had caught the attention of the older one.</p><p> </p><p>"Do you mind if I hold you company for a while?" Triss whispered, still halfway between the living room and Sabrina's room.</p><p> </p><p>"Why are you whispering? Jaskier is at Geralt’s and Brina's working... And I thought you were asleep".</p><p> </p><p>"I'm sorry," she whispered again, making Yennefer smile.</p><p> </p><p>"I don't want to take off hours of sleep from you, Triss, I'm sure you're exhausted".</p><p> </p><p>Despite her friend's words, the chestnut refused and approached the sofa to sit next to her. Her face betrayed the tiredness she felt, but her mind was not willing to let her rest; she knew Calanthe had told her that Tissaia was fine, but what if she stopped being from one moment to the next? Would she have taken her to the hospital? Would it be that bad? What if...?</p><p> </p><p>"Triss"</p><p> </p><p>"Hey... Uhm… Yes, I'm sorry, what were you saying?"</p><p> </p><p>"You want to talk about it? Do I have to beat the shit out of Sabrina?" Yennefer had approached her and surrounded her with one arm, while repeating the first question and adding a second.</p><p> </p><p>Triss looked forward and closed her eyes, not knowing exactly what to say and trying not to overreact at the suggestion, despite her body suddenly tightening. She needed to talk to someone and hear that everything would be fine, but she didn't want to spill Tissaia's secret; much less to someone who didn't know her and who was sometimes willing to mock her. Besides, Yennefer also seemed in need of venting.</p><p> </p><p>"Only if you want to talk about yours..." She whispered, once again.</p><p> </p><p>"The truth is… Do you remember we were all having dinner together tomorrow because I was going to introduce you to someone?" Yennefer waited for the older to nod, "it was Sky... Things were going well between us, today I was going to meet her mother, but a while ago her sister texted me to cancel the plans. Then Sky wrote me to tell me she was fine and that she wanted to break up," Triss drowned a little scream, but Yennefer kept talking, unable to stop now "she told me it wasn't something she could say to my face, which was very rare. Then her sister called me to tell me not to listen to her, that she was just having a hard time," Yennefer twisted the gesture. "What kind of person leaves her girlfriend because she's having a hard time or worried? If you do that for something like that, what happens when we argue?"</p><p> </p><p>"I want you to know that I'm very angry about you not having told me any of this before," Triss complained, hugging her friend's body, "but... Wow, Sky doesn't seem like a very stable person, does she usually act that weird all the time?"</p><p> </p><p>"Depends on what you understand as weird... In fact, she's always fine until her asshole husband gives signs of life," Triss's eyebrows were frowned upon by that fact, making Yennefer look down, "she... She's married, I'm her lover. Well, her girlfriend, she asked me, and I said yes. But what I mean is that we're always fine until he calls her or comes out in some delicate conversation".</p><p> </p><p>"And why doesn't she divorce him?" It was the first thing that crossed the young woman's mind.</p><p> </p><p>"I don't know, I don't want to ask her, but he's a bastard who always makes her cry and feel bad... Now that I think about it, I think Cal said he knew she's cheating on him… Oh, fucking gods, did I get her in trouble? Is that why she wanted to break up?"</p><p> </p><p>"Yen…" Triss hugged her harder, "you can't know what happened if she doesn't tell you, and making guesses isn't going to help you. You need to be distracted until she's talking to you, because she has to... Or I'm going to be very angry. And you don't want to see me angry," although she said it with a pout, it was a completely serious statement.</p><p> </p><p>"You don't know how to get angry, Triss, you're an angel in all its splendor," the brunette left a kiss on her friend's forehead and shook her head, she was calmer now she had let go of her fears and thoughts. "Now it's your turn... Don't tell me it's Brina who's taking your sleep away, or I'm going to have to go break her legs".</p><p> </p><p>"Yennefer!"</p><p> </p><p>"Right, if I do that, I'll ruin your sexual life," she joked, earning a hit from one of the sofa pillows.</p><p> </p><p>The smile and blush on Triss's face gradually faded, as she re-settled in her friend's arms, silently. It took her a while to find the best way to start talking about it, too worried about revealing things that were better while kept.</p><p> </p><p>"Someone has hurt a person I truly love," her voice was a whisper again, "and it's not Brina… It was this afternoon, someone called to tell me about it, but until tomorrow I can't go see her".</p><p> </p><p>"I'm so sorry, Triss," Yennefer hugged her harder, much more worried, "will she be alright?"</p><p> </p><p>"I hope so, but…"</p><p> </p><p>"But are you afraid that you've only been told everything's okay, so you don't have to worry for now?"</p><p> </p><p>Triss nodded.</p><p> </p><p>"You want to tell me what happened? You know I'm a tomb and I'll say absolutely nothing."</p><p> </p><p>"I shouldn't, but..." Triss closed her eyes, trying to hold back the tears. She knew Tissaia would hate her for the betrayal, but she couldn't do it; she couldn't keep all her emotions for herself while knowing she was seriously injured, she wasn’t as strong as her adoptive mother was, "you've probably realized that Vanielle and Rita hate Vilgefortz, right?"</p><p> </p><p>"Totally, I'm still uncomfortable remembering what I told you about the elevator."</p><p> </p><p>"Probably, if you hadn't been there, he would have tried to do something," Triss confessed, with a thread of voice. "Vilgefortz is not what he seems, he…" She moistened her lips, not knowing how to go on, but getting angrier every second that passed, "sometimes... He beats Tissaia up. Many of these times they are not extremely serious or visible things, but others…" Triss sobbed and Yennefer cradled her fondly, beginning to spread some caresses over her hair. "The other day, in her office, when she kicked me out, she did it so we wouldn't piss him off even more, so he wouldn't be mad at me... But Rita then told me that when she came in, he was holding her by the arm and..." The older woman buried her face against her friend's shoulder, "he beat her up and I don't know how bad it was or if she's going to be okay… I can't lose her, Yen. She's all the family I have since my mother was killed, she's taken care of me since I started college, she's my mother, she’s being so for almost twelve years," Triss couldn't keep talking, for the sobs wouldn't let her.</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer let her friend cry for a while and try to explain why no one could do anything and why Tissaia wouldn't divorce Vilgefortz; but as long as she tried to not give all the details, it was very difficult to understand. The brunette was sure that this fucking bastard wouldn't do anything to them from prison, that they would have more than enough evidence to make sure he didn't come out in a decade or two; but she knew that no logical argument was going to work at the time, not when the only thing her friend really wanted to do was to see her boss and check that she was actually still breathing.</p><p>Something inside Yennefer's mind was unsettled, trying to tell her that there was something very obvious that was escaping between her fingers, an information she had received before and to which she had not really paid enough attention… But worried for Triss, angry sat Vilgefortz and with her mind half focused on Sky, she was unable to join the two dots she had just in from of her. Really, how could she get her medicine degree? The only thing the brunette needed was to finish connecting the dots, but for that she needed to stop thinking about what she had done wrong so Sky would go back to her. Luckily —for any possible victim— she didn’t apply for any detective position.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm sure Rita will be looking after her," didn't Tissaia live in the teachers' residence? Oh. Oh! Would the blows she'd heard and what happened to Tissaia have been related? Ha Rita been lying to her? Why hadn't the blonde done anything if she knew what was going on? Although now that Yennefer was thinking about it, Rita had been desperate for her to leave her house, perhaps… "And, as you said, she and Vanielle hate him, so I doubt he's going to get away with this."</p><p> </p><p>"You don't understand, Yen..." Not just Triss's voice, but the fact that she repeated the sentence that had taken her out of her mind when Sky said it weeks ago, made the brunette roll her eyes and bite her tongue, for it was not Triss fault she was salty about it.</p><p> </p><p>"No, I don't get it, explain it to me."</p><p> </p><p>"I can't," the chestnut murmured, breaking down in tears again.</p><p> </p><p>That's where the conversation ended, as Triss didn't yield a single shred of information in all night, crying in her friend's arms and letting herself be comforted, as she heard her talk about how wonderful her girlfriend was. The only thing that got Triss calmed down was the story Yennefer told her about Sky being the woman who had saved her years ago and who had given her a purpose in life. The chestnut adored love stories and assured that it was worthy of a TV show and that hopefully everything would be resolved soon so that she could meet Sky at once and check the fidelity of the brunette's description.</p><p>When Sabrina arrived from work, around six in the morning, she convinced Triss to go to bed with her and Yennefer decided to do the same and head to her room. However, instead of going straight to bed, Yennefer approached the wall where she had a cork plank with things hanging and stopped to contemplate some photos she had placed there over the past few weeks. She had two with Tissaia, made with the polaroid, one of Roach —Geralt’s cat— in front of her birthday cake, a drawing that Sabrina had made to her years ago and which was surprisingly good, a photo with all her friends in a questionable state of drunkenness, and the note that her girlfriend had written to her to ask her to meet in Calanthe's office.</p><p>Yennefer took her fingers to that note and stroked the paper, her mind re-flooding with memories and intrusive thoughts. One part of her was certain that something important must have happened for Sky to try to break up with her and make Calanthe get in the way; but the other kept repeating why Sky's first intention had been to leave her with a message instead of telling her what had gone wrong or trying to fix things.</p><p>With a deep snort and blind to reality, the brunette approached the bed and dropped on the mattress, closing her eyes. Her mind was still halfway through processing all the information Triss had told her about Tissaia —at one point she had even told her that the teacher had relied on her to develop the itineraries of a subject and had described them to her, so it was quite a lot of information— so she was having a hard time screening with relevant things. It was clear that Triss not only admired Tissaia, but had great affection for her and regarded her as a mother, so Yennefer felt a little bad about the times she had followed Sabrina and Jaskier's game, playing pranks at her expense... Not to say that the poor woman had a shitty life, having to live with an abuser and being terrified because of him, how had she managed to hide any marks from her classmates and students? Because if anything had been clear to Yennefer, it was that only Vanielle, Rita and Triss knew what was going on.</p><p>When the brunette closed her eyes to avoid the sunlight that was beginning to enter through her window, her mind decided to project a specific image behind her eyelids. A wrist, with purple finger marks on pale skin, exposed when Sky's shirt had been raised while sleeping on the couch.</p><p>Yennefer opened her eyes as reality filtered into her mind. If Tissaia had been able to hide any brand of mistreatment from the people around her, how could she know Sky hadn't done the same? That would explain why she hadn't left her husband or why her behavior changed so radically every time the subject in question gave signs of life. In addition, the young woman was sure that the fear a person should feel in that situation was enough to leave someone with a message. She had only seen part of the picture, but it was enough for now, it had to be enough.</p><p>Hadn't Calanthe said her sister had something on her throat and couldn't talk? It wasn't like she was aphonic or cold, her vocal cords worked perfectly a night ago, so... Wait, if Calanthe knew her brother-in-law was beating her sister, why the fuck hadn't she done anything about it before? She needed to talk to Sky and she needed to do it now.</p><p>Of course, if her mind would be kind enough and allowed her to associate Sky and Tissaia as the same person, once and for all, the number of problems may be reduced... But that wasn't the case. She was too tired to think clearly and now that she had come to the conclusion that someone had put a hand on Sky... Well, the piece of shit could be happy that Yennefer didn't know who he was and she wouldn't go looking for him for now, because her desire to hit someone right now was anything but controllable. Her emotions were consuming her and she was pure chaos threatening with exploding.</p><p> </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>"I'm not going to ask why you have the keys to your boss' house," Sabrina murmured, as her girlfriend opened Tissaia's front door.</p><p> </p><p>Triss smiled, but said nothing, pushing the door aside for her girlfriend to come in first and closing it, once the two found themselves inside. She had written to Calanthe not to worry about opening them and to let her know they were arriving, so the brunette just poked her head out the door of the room to see who it was.</p><p>It was eleven o'clock in the morning and Rita had already spent a few hours before to check Tissaia's condition. Calanthe had been upset when the blonde had asked her to wait outside, but, before leaving, and out of Tissaia's reach, Rita had told her how difficult it was for the chestnut to expose her body, and when she was hurt, sometimes she wouldn't even let her check it out. It did nothing to quell the lioness's wrath, though she did redirect it. She could not be angry with Margarita when all she did was to protect Tissaia and seek to make her feel as comfortable as possible; but Vilgefortz... Gods, that man was so dead.</p><p>Calanthe left the room to approach the young women, trying not to notice how Triss —so she inferred— blushed more than noticeably. The chestnut had a terrible face and it was obvious that she had not slept last night —something between tender and worrying, from the woman's point of view— but she was also unable to hold her eyes on the brunette.</p><p> </p><p>"I hope you don't bring encyclopedias to the cult meeting," she couldn't help it, it was in her nature.</p><p> </p><p>Sabrina laughed and Triss's blush was much more accentuated.</p><p> </p><p>"No, but I got what you asked for," Sabrina took off a bag and extended an arm as she approached Calanthe.</p><p> </p><p>"Thank you very much, dear," the woman whispered, taking the bag.</p><p> </p><p>Quiet and discreet, Tissaia had risen from bed when she heard a familiar voice different from her sister's. Recognizing that it was Sabrina, the chestnut decided to put on some pants that covered her legs and, made sure that Yennefer's hoodie covered her entire arms, and that the handkerchief Rita had lend her was wrapped around her neck. The three pieces of clothing did not combine in any way, but Tissaia refused to allow her former student to see her in that state. What the blonde was doing there was still a mystery.</p><p>With careful and silent footsteps, she left the room and advanced, hidden by Calanthe's body, until she peeked from one side of the woman. She wasn't sure who was more surprised of the four women; whether Calanthe suddenly felt a hand on her back, Triss and Sabrina seeing her appearance, or herself seeing the two young women together.</p><p>However, Triss seemed to declare herself victorious, for, as soon as she could react and with her eyes filled with tears, she ran up to the teacher, stopping just before pouncing on her and hugging her, no matter if Calanthe was still in the middle of the hall and almost between them. Tissaia surrounded her sister and took one last step to approach Triss and circle her with both arms, squeezing her jaw tightly because of the severe pain that the gesture caused in some parts of her body. She didn't care and she was more than willing to swallow any kind of pain just by erasing that worried, frightened look off Triss's eyes.</p><p>The child's arms ended up wrapping Tissaia's waist and her face ended up buried against her shoulder. Calanthe looked at her in anger, worried at seeing the way some of her muscles tightened, but she dared not say anything —not when her eyes met Tissaia's and the fury contained in them— so she gestured to Sabrina to accompany her to the kitchen and mentally noted to ask Rita and Vanielle about it later. For the first time in her life, she thought she could be scared of making her sister angry. What the fuck was that look? Had Tissaia always been that scary when she got furious? She needed answers!</p><p>Tissaia and Triss did not move from the aisle for several minutes, the older woman's fingers caressing the brown curls tenderly. Ever since she saw her assistant's face in the hallway, Tissaia was relieved for two different reasons; the first, to know that the young woman was fine and that Vilgefortz had not yet gone after her, the second, to have put on enough clothes so that only her face would be in sight and with it, only the wounds present in her head.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm sorry," Triss whispered, not knowing exactly why, from everything she was thinking, but needing to apologize.</p><p> </p><p>"All... Is... Fine," Tissaia cursed internally the way her voice sounded weak and clumsy, closing her eyes when Triss sobbed again. "Really."</p><p> </p><p>Triss nodded once and hugged the woman with a little more strength. Tissaia, however, slowly took air and left a kiss on her forehead, not knowing exactly how to comfort her, until the memory of a past conversation came back to her mind. Repressing a mocking smile, but letting the emotion reflect in her eyes —the left one much less swollen than the day before— she tried to sound much clearer and to avoid her voice broke so easily.</p><p> </p><p>"So... You've come... With my... Daughter-in… Law?" Tissaia had to bite her inside her cheek so as not to laugh when Triss violently turned her head back, her cheeks completely red and a half amused half frightened expression in her face.</p><p> </p><p>If the young woman reacted like that when asked directly, Tissaia did not want to imagine how she should react if someone interrupted her when she was about to have sex with Sabrina.</p><p> </p><p>"I... This... Well..." Triss split from her and backed a step, looking into the kitchen nervously, even if she wasn't able to see anything, her hands restless on her sides. "You're not going to get mad at her or try to scare her, are you? I mean, now that I’m officially calling you mom."</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia took a notebook and a pen out of the hoodie pocket.</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>'Who do you think I am? You're saying that because of the argument you had last week? And you know I’d adopt you if you were under 18.'</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Once that was written, she showed it to Triss, who nodded. The younger woman’s lip trembled when she read the last part.</p><p> </p><p>"Well, you could add it to my contract… I mean, I was just joking, even if I’d love it."</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>'Triss, you’re calling me mom, that’s all I need of it to consider it legal. And you're lucky I'm fond of Sabrina, if it had been someone else, she'd have accidentally fallen from the living room window as soon as she walked in.'</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Triss didn't doubt that the threat was serious, so she smiled and approached Tissaia to leave a kiss on her healthy cheek.</p><p> </p><p>"Thank you," she smiled radiantly, despite the trail that tears had left on her cheeks, and dared to add, "mom. You’re the best one I could ask for. Are you going to tell me why you're fond of my girlfriend? She just told me that sometimes you'd go to Cintra and help them…"</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia rolled her eyes and wrote again.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>'I promise to do it as soon as I can talk. Although it's a shame not to be able to use this new information to scare her, only a little :('</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Despite the implications of the message, Triss let out a little cackle when she saw that Tissaia had used an emoji.</p><p> </p><p>"Well... But just a little bit, she's had a hard time too."</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia was not sure if it was Triss's lovely smile, the fact that she had called her mom, or the possibility of being able to scare Sabrina a little, but she accepted the hand offered to her by the young woman and decided to ignore —as far as possible— that Calanthe had surely told Sabrina what was going on; her lips had given rise to a small smile that ignored the pain that such a gesture caused her, but what could she do? Those were Triss’ side effects.</p><p>Triss guided the woman to the kitchen, where both Sabrina and Calanthe were making tea and putting cookies on a plate. Tissaia's face suddenly became serious and her gaze regained some of the fury that had caused her to see Triss sad and almost crying for three days the week before. Passing the notebook page, she began to write as the young woman approached the other two women to help them.</p><p>When Tissaia finished writing, she ripped off the sheet, folded it, and approached Sabrina to offer it to her. The confused blonde took the paper and leaned on the countertop as she began to read its contents. Sabrina only looked up once to lay her eyes upon Tissaia's, of which she instantly repented; she'd never seen the teacher so angry with anyone, even when Stregobor had interrupted her classes, so watching the blue in her eyes turn as pale as the cloudy sky was terrifying.</p><p>With a trembling hand and without looking her in the face, Sabrina extended the paper back to Tissaia. Her eyes had descended to her neck —at first to avoid her eyes— and they had stopped when she saw what the handkerchief Tissaia was wearing did not finish hiding; purple and greenish, where the fabric did not cover, she could see marks that were obvious even to someone who had no experience in medicine. Unconsciously, her jaw tightened and her whole face showed more than obvious anger. Tissaia realized what was going on, so she shrugged herself and shook her head, waiting for Sabrina to look her in the face again.</p><p>Her face had softened and her eyes no longer contained a single trace of anger, their color as deep blue as ever. Sabrina did not understand how a person's eyes could reflect emotions so clearly, but she did begin to understand what months before she had not seen: Tissaia was not a wall without feelings, they were simply so small and subtly reflected that it was often very hard to see them, and sometimes it was impossible if they were not sought. The way Tissaia was looking at her now practically overshadowed the anger felt by the blonde, who dropped her arm again, with the paper still between her fingers.</p><p> </p><p>"I promise I won't do it again," she whispered.</p><p> </p><p>"You'd... Better," the teacher said, before she approached her and left a gentle squeeze on her arm, whispering that only Sabrina would listen to her, "don't… Tell her."</p><p> </p><p>Sabrina nodded once and kept the paper in her pocket.</p><p> </p><p>"You weren't supposed to be hard on her, or to scare her too much," Triss finally complained, seeing that her girlfriend wasn't even answering, pale as the paper she had saved. Tissaia shrugged carefully and Calanthe laughed, as it was impossible for the two to be more like each other.</p><p> </p><p>"You should have seen Eist, my husband, when I took him home the first time. Between my mother, Tissaia and Nenneke, I wonder how he's still alive and with me... And then she was only ten years old."</p><p> </p><p>"He knew… Consequences… Of leaving," Tissaia said with such indifference it was almost scary.</p><p> </p><p>"Did you do anything to Eist?" Sabrina's curiosity and emotion were more than obvious, and although Triss tried to disguise it, it was obvious that she also wanted to ask about it, so Tissaia looked at her sister, asking her to tell the story.</p><p> </p><p>"You see," the brunette began, when they all sat on the stools around the kitchen island, "Nenneke had already found Eist and me having sex in Cintra's office, which was my mother's office, so her opinion of the poor man was already on the wrong track. One night, my mother asked me to take him home to have dinner with us so they could officially meet him... That was a full-blown Cold War, the delicate questions flew in all directions and no one trusted my judgment with men, considering my history," Calanthe took the cup of tea to her lips and looked directly at Tissaia, with a mocking smile. "I took mom and Nenneke to the kitchen to tell them to stop bothering and threatening poor Eist, but when we returned..." Calanthe laughed alone with the memory, causing Sabrina and Triss to lean forward, her eyebrows raised with the purest curiosity, "Tissaia was happily eating what was left of her food with all the peace of mind in the world, Eist was sitting in front of her, pale terrified and shaking. He has never told me what she said or did," Calanthe reached out to take her sister's hand and gave it a loving squeeze, while the two young women laughed as much as she did, "but he did tell me that he had never been so scared in his life before, that he never would treat me badly and that he would make me the happiest woman in the world. And I must say, he's done what he promised".</p><p> </p><p>"Dramatic," Tissaia whispered, though her lips were as curved as the pain allowed them to be.</p><p> </p><p>"Well," Sabrina began, but she stopped when she saw one of Tissaia's eyebrows rising, probably the gesture hurting her.</p><p> </p><p>"Either way, I have to go home and get some clothes, do you mind hanging out with Tissaia for a while and keep an eye on her?"</p><p> </p><p>"I don't need... Nannies," the woman protested, clearly annoyed, "don’t want… To bother you."</p><p> </p><p>"Nor I need more bad news, so you're going to deal with it, because if they can't, I'm going to call Rita".</p><p> </p><p>"I have nothing to do, so it's no trouble at all," Triss almost appreciated having the opportunity to spend more time with the older woman, just to make sure she was really okay and not just pretending.  "I mean, all I have is work and I'd feel a lot better if you helped me plan the week's classes, mom," Triss was really enjoying using that word.</p><p> </p><p>Sabrina and Calanthe didn't believe how easy it was for Triss to get Tissaia to nod and give in to the idea. Though they were still processing the fact that the chestnut had just called Tissaia mom.</p><p> </p><p>"Great, because I brought everything I needed," the young woman smiled broadly, for she had never doubted that Tissaia would accept and got up to get her purse, which had been forgotten in the hallway.</p><p> </p><p>"I need you to teach me how to do that," Sabrina said, watching her girlfriend come out of the kitchen.</p><p> </p><p>"Don't bother, Sabrina, my sources tell me that no one but Triss has that effect," Calanthe turned her head back to Tissaia, "am I wrong?"</p><p> </p><p>The chestnut shrugged and took the cup of tea to her lips for a sip. Of course she wasn't wrong, but she didn't have to admit that out loud in front of two people who would be happy to learn how to achieve that capacity for conviction. Probably, not even Yennefer would have it easy enough for her to have enough with one look to convince her of anything; not yet, at least. But Triss had been perfecting her pouts and puppy eyes for twelve years —even when Tissaia was just assistant of Klara Larissa de Winter, the previous rectoress of the university and teacher of physics, and still working on the hospital—, so it was very difficult to reach her level in such short time.</p><p> </p><p>"Now, hold on," Sabrina finally whispered, "did Triss call you mom? Are you my mother-in-law? Like seriously, are you?"</p><p> </p><p>Triss and Tissaia looked at each other, but the younger woman was the first to laugh, quickly followed by the teacher.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>"Answers will come and things will start to find their place," but not yet lmao. Not all of them, at least, sooooorry.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Action</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter is specially dedicated to <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jay1892SG/pseuds/Jay1892SG">Jay1892SG</a> and TheOne, and also to<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/GayLlamaFromSpace/pseuds/GayLlamaFromSpace"> GayLlamaFromSpace</a>, for reasons I will explain on the end note, so read the chapter first and don't you dare to look at the note before (please)</p><p>Anyway, thank you all for reading and commenting and just for being here. This fic is taking way longer that I expected (well it went over 130k and I have 10 more chapters written with the unfinished story, so I don't even get why you all keep reading this), so the only thing I want to do is thank you so much for your love, support and patience. I love you so much.</p><p> </p><p>TW: mentions to abuse and wounds.</p><p> </p><p>I don't know if Yennefer's sense of humor must be tagged as TW, but let me know.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Calanthe greeted Vesemir with her head as she passed through the porch and entered the house. She didn’t want to stay far from her sister, so she had no time to chat with him as she usually did. He, Eskel and Lambert were playing cards at a table on the porch, each with a cup of coffee and betting on the corresponding biscuits. Normally, everyone would be invited to come —even if they all used to decline kindly—, but that day, Calanthe knew that neither her mother nor Nenneke would let what she had to tell them come to anyone's ears, not even the bodyguards.</p><p>The Duchess had been a second mother to her and Tissaia ever since, even though she was little more than a decade older than Calanthe herself. Moreover, since her father died twenty years ago, the woman had always been supporting Adalia in every way she could —because yes, the brunette knew she had bent on paying for Tissaia's two careers, though only Adalia had known it at first, and part of Cintra's last reform— being probably the closest friend the family had. However, when it came to Tissaia, one way or another, Nenneke always ended up involved. It was normal, of course, since the younger De Vries had saved her life and the woman probably felt completely indebted to her, but a part of Calanthe wasn't quite sure if she should share what was going on with her.</p><p>The brunette went straight to the kitchen, stopping when she saw Adalia and Nenneke sitting at the table, in complete silence with her hands linked, and looking at each other. Whatever they had been arguing about so far, the conversation had died when the front door had been opened and, now, they both turned their heads to the younger woman. Adalia wore a grey turtle-necked sweater with long sleeves, while the Duchess wore an elegant dark brown dress, adorned with some rhinestones; anyone who saw both females could never think that there was any kind of relationship between them and yet Calanthe sometimes considered them almost closer than their parents had ever been… Not that she dared to ask, anyway.</p><p> </p><p>"Calanthe, dear, good morning," Nenneke smiled, always maintaining appearances, even in intimacy.</p><p> </p><p>"Aunt Nenneke," the brunette smiled softly and sat in what was considered <em>her</em> chair<em>, </em>Adalia was in the one she always occupied and Nenneke in Tissaia’s, "what an ugly dress, who do you stole it from?"</p><p> </p><p>Calanthe laughed when Nenneke taped her on the arm and rolled her eyes.</p><p> </p><p>"The day you learn manners I will die of the scare," Adalia muttered, rolling her eyes too.</p><p> </p><p>"Leave the poor girl, learning manners is not reason enough to die," Nenneke winked at the youngest.</p><p> </p><p>"You stop pampering her!" Adalia snorted and crossed her arms, a long silence succeeding in such an action; she was the one who spoke to break it. "Why did you cancel dinner last night? And what was that so important you wanted to tell me? Why isn’t Tissaia picking up her phone?" Calanthe looked down, biting her lower lip, before glancing sideways to Nenneke; yet her mother was much faster than the brunette had thought, not even giving her a chance to finish that thought. "Nenneke stays, whatever you have to say, you're going to tell us both... And don't leave anything to yourself".</p><p> </p><p>Calanthe sank into her seat. She had not answered Tissaia when she had asked her if she would tell Adalia what had happened, because even she herself had not been quite sure whether she should do so —especially because the old woman was awfully scary when she was angry— and she was aware that this story would not be left alone among them. Not knowing exactly where to start, Calanthe began to recount exactly the same thing Vanielle and Rita had told her, trying to smooth the story to the fullest and avoiding some details. She didn't tell them the state her sister was in right now, saying only that she was <em>'hurt'</em> and that she couldn't talk. She also added the fact that it was Vilgefortz's fault that Tissaia left her position as surgeon and anything related to medicine —and probably the reason that led her to refuse operating on the Duchess—, that he had threatened the lives of all in the family, even Yennefer and that he had been blackmailing the woman for years now.</p><p>With each word that left Calanthe's lips, Adalia became increasingly strained, her jaw about to disclose or shatter by the pressure with which she squeezed it and her eyes were narrowed, increasing the wrinkles of her face and her frown. Her hands were clenched in fists on the table, causing her fingernails to stick in her palms with incredible force, probably causing blood to pour from little wounds latter. Calanthe could tell how much her breathing had accelerated, but at least she hadn't stopped doing it, like Nenneke. The Duchess had turned pale and her eyes reflected the purest and most intense hatred Calanthe had seen before, however, her hands and face were completely relaxed. That woman had to have so much practice in delicate situations that not even something like that managed to shatter her enough to lose her composure. She was the personification of poise and it was scarier than Adalia’s rage. And saying that The Lioness of Cintra was scared of two women above sixty just by looking at them was a strong indicator of the situation.</p><p>So, when Calanthe finished speaking, the silence returned to the kitchen for a few seconds, before Adalia tried to break it again.</p><p> </p><p>"Nenneke..." The old woman tried to take the Duchess's hand, but the woman moved it away before she could grab her. With a sigh, Adalia looked at Calanthe, "can you leave us alone for a moment, honey?"</p><p> </p><p>The brunette hesitated for a second but nodded and stood up. She knew it was not a question, despite having been formulated as one, so she would take the opportunity to go have a shower and change her clothes, before returning to Tissaia's house.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>Ciri had not only chosen Tissaia's new mobile but also a case, her wallpaper and virtually everything but the password. The cover was very similar to that of the woman's previous phone: black and with stars; but in it was written a sentence that Tissaia seriously doubted the girl would have come up with on her own. <em>'Loving you is like loving</em> <em>the</em> <em>stars themselves'. </em>However, she did not ask about it and merely reviewed the bluish-purple letters with one finger, thinking about her own blue star.</p><p>The chestnut was also not surprised to see that her wallpaper was a photo of Yennefer with her, which was impossible to have come with the mobile phone and that she herself did not have in the gallery of her memory card. Did it really make sense to ask why Ciri had asked Yennefer to accompany her to buy a cell phone and a case when it was more than obvious? In addition, the girl tried to disguise it in a rather clumsy way, as she kept smiling widely, waiting for her to say something about it, swinging on her own heels and almost skipping on the place.</p><p>Tissaia's face looked much better, her nose still somewhat swollen, but her forehead and cheekbone began to regain her usual color, and the wound on her lip was almost gone after a week. Yennefer had told her that she wanted to talk to her in person, but that she would wait as long as she needed. Messages had been written daily —Tissaia had been using the computer for it, because hijacking Calanthe's mobile was not an option— but they were only talking about how the day had gone or what plans they had by then. There were no jokes, no declarations of love, no sexual hints. The cold cordiality with which they were both dealing was beginning to kill Tissaia, so Friday afternoon she decided to write to Yennefer and ask her to go to Cintra that night.</p><p>Throughout the week, her friends and Calanthe had been taking turns staying with her and practically acting as babysitters and leaving her without privacy, because the only place she was allowed to go alone was to the bathroom —she had to argue to get that— and, she hadn't even left home until that day.</p><p> </p><p>"It’s beautiful, dear, thank you," the teenager smiled even more when she heard those words. Tissaia's voice still sounded hoarse and she was unable to pronounce more than a couple of sentences in a row, her neck covered in a scarf to prevent her '<em>cold' </em>from getting worse, after Calanthe threw her in the water as they strolled along the beach in the middle of winter. How Ciri was buying such nonsenses was beyond Tissaia.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm glad you like it... But the truth is, that the one with kittens hanging from a rope was much more adorable," she said.</p><p> </p><p>"I can't imagine what made you change your mind..." Tissaia murmured.</p><p> </p><p>The woman didn't get an answer. The office door had opened and someone had entered, distracting the teen, but not managing to attract the gaze of the woman, who was still nailed to the phone case.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm leaving before granny gets angry because I've been distracted in the middle of my shift," Ciri quickly added, before disappearing across the door and closing behind her.</p><p> </p><p>With a frown, Tissaia raised her head and found violet eyes wider than usual. Everything the chestnut had been planning to tell and explain her had disappeared completely from her mind. And worst of all, Yennefer didn't even seem surprised, just furious, worried and… Almost crying. Of course, that was normal, taking into account her knowledge of medicine and anatomy and the fact that she was a doctor. In fact, that had been the main motive that had led Tissaia to dismiss the idea of trying to lie to her again; she was tired of hiding everything from her girlfriend and it was stupid since she was too clever and observant.</p><p>The brunette, however, ignored her girlfriend's momentary nervous breakdown and came up close enough to surround the desk and kneel in front of the chair she was sitting in. Her hands soon reached Tissaia’s cheeks and caressed them with great care, probably assessing the damage on her face and the severity of the injuries that, after a week, were in such state.</p><p> </p><p>"Yen..." The woman's voice sounded much weaker and shaky than she would have liked, it was close to a grunt.</p><p> </p><p>The young woman looked up from the little healing injurie on her lip to her eyes and looked at her in silence. Tissaia, not knowing what to say, took one of her hands to the nape of Yennefer’s neck and brought her close enough to rest her forehead on hers.</p><p> </p><p>"I don't even know where to start," Tissaia acknowledged.</p><p> </p><p>"It’s okay, we have time. Come home with me," Yennefer whispered, back.</p><p> </p><p>"I can't, I..."</p><p> </p><p>"You're afraid, I know, but nothing's going to happen to you," Yennefer's eyes had flooded again in a matter of seconds, but the young woman refused to blink or let tears fall through them, "we'll be careful, I’ll protect you. I promise you nothing else will happen to you".</p><p> </p><p>"It’s not me who I’m afraid for," Tissaia began to caress the young woman's neck fondly.</p><p> </p><p>"I'll be fine too, don't be silly, that’s my job," she smiled, removing Tissaia's tears, "not even a antimatter-me would keep me away from you".</p><p> </p><p>"You know that phrase is so wrong that there's no way to take it, right?" With difficulty, Tissaia managed to finish that sentence, before a little shy smile appeared on her lips.</p><p> </p><p>"Says the woman who has me on my knees in front of her without taking advantage…"</p><p> </p><p>"I knelt first," the chestnut rolled her eyes.</p><p> </p><p>"Hm... Well, I may have to do what you didn't do that time," Yennefer's eyes acquired a rogue glow, while she allowed her lips to curve into a cheeky smile.</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia, however, decided to erase that mocking smile from her girlfriend's face with a kiss, using the hand on her neck to bring her as close as possible.</p><p> </p><p>"I've missed you so much," Yennefer whispered as soon as they split up, "come home with me".</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia sighed, but she did not refuse this time, she didn’t want to. She could not imagine spending the night anywhere other than in Yennefer's arms and, considering that she had spent the whole week sleeping in the young woman's hoodies —which she had preferred not to ask Calanthe about how she had achieved to get—, the improvement was considerably remarkable. Considering her silence as a yes, Yennefer stood up and offered a hand to the chestnut that she did not hesitate to take and get up.</p><p> </p><p>"And that's why, in the end, I convinced Ciri to choose that case and customize it. My arguments are fantastic," carefully, Yennefer pulled her girlfriend until she was pressed against her body and she hugged her, always touching her body with great care, because she was not aware of where her possible wounds were.</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia corresponded to the hug instantly, surrounding Yennefer's waist and burying her face in her chest. Maybe that wasn't going to solve anything, but when Yennefer was with her, so close and with her arms around her body, Tissaia felt much safer and more confident than usual. And those days she had needed that safety more than ever.</p><p>She knew that asking Yennefer to go to Cintra was a terrible idea and that it would put her in danger; she knew that going home with her and risking exposing her was an even worse idea. But every day, Tissaia was more aware of the stupid need she felt for brunette company and how difficult it became the thought of imagining her days away from that woman. If a week without any kind of affection on Yennefer's part had been torturing her more than the state of her ribs, the idea of what would have happened if Calanthe hadn't gotten the mobile and prevented her from ending her relationship was...</p><p> </p><p>"I can hear you thinking, my love," Yennefer left a kiss on the woman's hair and smiled.</p><p> </p><p>"It's what human beings have, sometimes they think... But I guess you can’t relate that much, do you? Of thinking, I mean," Tissaia sketched a little smile.</p><p> </p><p>Surprised by the joke, Yennefer opened her mouth, unable to answer, and laughed. Minutes later, she agreed to be the first to leave and return home, because then Tissaia would do the same, taking a taxi. Anyway, she had to warn Calanthe that he was leaving and that she was going to be in Yennefer's house, gaining three innuendos about the kind of sex she was going to have that night, plus a worried look and at least six reminders to call her if anything happened, if Yennefer behaved like a bitch or if she needed something.</p><p>Calanthe was aware that Tissaia knew how much was at stake and that she would not go to Yennefer's house if it wasn't important, yet she knew that her sister would be safe at the moment and that whoever spied on her on Vilgefortz's orders would not follow her all over town. They had to be very stupid and have very little life of their own, if that was the case.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>Yennefer was sitting on the last step, waiting for Tissaia for a while but beginning to worry that she had changed her mind since she had left and was not going to show up. It was three o'clock in the morning, so it wouldn't be so weird if the woman would have preferred to go home and sleep instead of going there, would it?</p><p>The young woman was about to snort when the sound of the elevator doors opening startled her. Yennefer knew how much Tissaia hated elevators, so she hadn't expected her to use it to get up... Unless her current state did not allow her to use the stairs. Suddenly tense, Yennefer got up and turned to see how, indeed, it was the chestnut who left the elevator and walked towards it, tilting her head when she saw her out there.</p><p> </p><p>"I didn't know if you'd come or change your mind," Yennefer whispered, looking down.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm sorry," Tissaia turned to her and put a finger under her chin, lifting her up to leave a tender kiss on her lips, "but I’m here".</p><p> </p><p>With an excited smile, the brunette took her girlfriend's hand and left a kiss on the palm before pulling her into the apartment. She only stopped to lock the door and then practically dragged Tissaia to her room, without giving her time to say or do anything else, not until the door of the room had closed behind their backs. She wanted to talk to Tissaia and Triss was sleeping on Sabrina’s room —Yennefer knew Triss would probably be triggered to see someone hurt after what happened to her boss, so better not to disturb her. Tissaia appreciated the brunette's concern for her state, so she put her purse and coat aside, carefully, hesitating whether to do the same with the scarf.</p><p>At the moment she decided to leave it around her neck and sit on the bed, looking at Yennefer from there. The brunette held her gaze and it took her almost a minute to approach and sit next to her. Tissaia knew how hard it was for her girlfriend to talk things, even when she just had to listen to them, so she gave her as much time as she needed, taking advantage for herself to organize her own ideas. Apparently, the younger woman misunderstood the silence and her need to put an end to it imposed instantly.</p><p> </p><p>"You don't have to tell me anything, if you don't want to," Yennefer's fingers moved restlessly on her lap, "we can just lay in bed and cuddle".</p><p> </p><p>"I want to do it, but it's hard," Tissaia took her girlfriend's hands to make her stop fidgeting and look her in the eye. Her words were paused and her voice hoarse, "I find it difficult to talk, and it's a complicated subject. Will you listen to me without getting upset or doing anything stupid?"</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer nodded, so Tissaia breathed slowly one last time and made her best attempt to explain everything to her.</p><p> </p><p>"My husband sometimes applies excessive amounts of force to my body," she stopped sometimes between words to get some air or clear her throat, not to mention her inability to say things as they were, "especially when he gets angry. He..."</p><p> </p><p>"Hits you?" Yennefer offered, to which the woman nodded, grateful.</p><p> </p><p>"Sometimes he just... Hits me. Others, he tries to state by force that I belong to him and that he can do with me what he wants," Tissaia squeezed the young woman's hands when she noticed that her whole body had tightened, so she assumed she had understood what she meant. She couldn’t talk directly about it, but she was trying her best to make it understandable. Her eyes abandoned the violet orbs as soon as she spoke again, "he usually says inappropriate things that affect me more than they should and what I’d like to admit," now, she began to caress the young woman's hands with her thumbs. "He told me that if he found out who you were, he'd kill you and then kill my whole family…"</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia stopped there, her throat was bothering her, it ached, and she wasn't sure if it was because of inflammation of the area or the knot that had formed in it. The only reason she had managed to say all that was because she had chosen vague words and euphemisms that could reduce the real implications of everything. Talking about them as if talking about a third person or some clinical case, had helped a lot more than she expected, but not enough to have been as clear as she would have liked.</p><p> </p><p>"Is that why you tried to break up with me last Friday?"</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia nodded, one of Yennefer's hands finding her cheek quickly to gently make her look at her.</p><p> </p><p>"Was it him?" Yennefer let her thumb caress the gagged cheekbone of the other's face so gently that it was doubtful if she was touching it at all. The chestnut nodded again, and the young woman left a kiss on her forehead. She'd spent the whole week getting used to the possibility, but the desire she had to kill that son of a... She sighed, "can I examine you?"</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia didn't answer. From the first moment she knew it was possible for Yennefer to come and ask her for something like that, and that it was likely if she had asked her to go to her house. The woman was also aware that the brunette had enough medical knowledge to make a judgment about her condition and that her question was not based on simple curiosity or morbidity, but on actually checking how she was doing. Again, Yennefer took his silence as an answer and began to leave some kisses on her face to make her forget about it.</p><p> </p><p>"Alright, but you let me give you something more comfortable to sleep on," one last kiss on her cheek and Yennefer had got up to go to the closet in search of a long pajama pants and a hoodie.</p><p> </p><p>Meanwhile, Tissaia decided to remove her scarf, with slow and insecure movements. Just because Yennefer always deduced her answers, it didn't mean she was right. And while the woman was not sure how the younger one had managed to contain all her emotions and not be angry or react badly to what she had told her, she trusted her enough to give her the opportunity to do what she had asked for.</p><p>When Yennefer turned, to offer her the clothes, Tissaia's neck had been exposed and with it all the finger marks printed on it. The pajamas fell out of her hands and the brunette quickly approached her girlfriend to check that area in more detail, placing both hands to the sides of her head to raise her chin so that she could get some more light and visibility. Tissaia let herself be moved, without complaining or turning away; she was used to Rita's daily reviews and, in truth, Yennefer was so afraid to touch her that Tissaia was afraid to scare her away at any moment with the slightest motion.</p><p> </p><p>"He could have fucking killed you".</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia heard her whisper, then she realized that Yennefer had stopped looking at her neck and buried her face against her shoulder. The way Yennefer’s shoulders trembled exposed that she was crying, so the chestnut surrounded her with both arms and kissed her hair.</p><p> </p><p>"Seeing it won't change anything," she stroked her hair, worried, "my best friend will check on me, you don’t need to".</p><p> </p><p>"I want to do it... I need to be sure you’ll be fine," Yennefer's lips found the older woman’s neck and began to hand out some kisses through it so delicately that Tissaia missed a few tears, something she would not let anyone know.</p><p> </p><p>The brunette carefully reviewed each of the marks, in an attempt to erase them with affection, as if that could be the cure for any aggression against her girlfriend's body. However, what those gestures did achieve —in addition to shedding a few more tears from the chestnut— was to give her enough strength to extract herself from the hug and, ignoring Yennefer’s worried expression, take off her sweater.</p><p>Different green, purple and blue bruises adorned the pale expanse of skin on Tissaia's torso, a purple, horizontal mark across the extent between her collarbone and breasts, her arms full of finger marks and some other irregular blow… Not to talk about the big bruise on her ribs. Yennefer could feel something breaking inside her as she contemplated such an image, but that did not stop her, and her lips soon began to travel every inch of Tissaia's body that had been exposed, with tenderness and love. In her mind two different types of thought were mixed; some referred to the anatomy of the woman and the possible origin of each wound, as well as its current state and what time would it take each of them to heal; the other, was a simple question repeating itself over and over again: what kind of monster would hurt someone like that? And not anyone, but the person she loved.</p><p>Yennefer ended up on her knees, going over the chestnut abdomen with his tongue for the second time. Tissaia's hands were tangled in her hair and it was obvious that she was beginning to find it difficult to maintain balance, as Yennefer's kisses had completely altered her —despite the good intentions with which they had begun, for they were now more heated, suggestive and wet. When Tissaia gasped, Yennefer stood up and looked her in the eye for a moment, before being dragged to meet the other woman's lips.</p><p>That was not the way she had imagined that the night would end, but if Tissaia was okay with that, she would not be the one to complain about having the opportunity to be as close to the woman as possible, to touch her or to be touched by her.</p><p>Yennefer's back ended up crashing into the door of the room. Her hands reached Tissaia's hips and got rid of her pants, before reaching her thighs and, as she leaned forward, holding her in her arms. Without her lips parting, Tissaia's legs wrapped around the woman's waist, one of her hands still tangled between the black strands and the other looking for some more support, surrounding the brunette's neck. When Yennefer leaned Tissaia against the closet, closing the door of it with a slam, the chestnut managed to contain a hiss, though not the little laugh that followed. While some parts of her back still hurt, seeing Yennefer's face of frustration when she realized she had forgotten to take off her underwear was worth it, as it was the cute clumsiness she was showing due to her nerves.</p><p> </p><p>"Bed, now," Tissaia whispered against her lips, trying to stop her laugh and use her more authoritarian voice. She then took her lips to Yennefer's neck and let her teeth gently scratch the skin in that area, playfully threatening her if she disobeyed.</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer did not hesitate longer, securing her grip, now with her hands on Tissaia's ass, to withdraw a few more steps, until the back of her knees collided with the bed and she fell on the mattress. Tissaia ended up straddling her girlfriend’s lap and took the first opportunity she had to take off her shirt and throw it to the side of the room, a rogue smile drawn on her lips seeing that the brunette was wearing nothing under it. Yennefer, meanwhile, was fighting with the lock of her lace bra, while her lips had advanced and they had already found one of Tissaia's nipples, sucking it. Eventually, she managed to open the garment and Tissaia helped her get rid of it, probably causing it to end up in some part of the room where they would then have a hard time finding it. Yennefer smiled with pride and caressed Tissaia’s thigh until her hands ended up inside her girlfriend’s panties and squeezing her ass, which will probably end up somewhere hardly accessible in the room. However, how would they worry about nonsense like that when the two were so lost in each other? And so lost were they, neither of them heard anything until Triss's drowned scream brought them back to reality.</p><p>The door of Yennefer's room was now open, Triss petrified in the frame of the door and doing her best to look anywhere but the two women inside. The knock on the door and then the closet slam had worried her a lot, so she had run out to check that Yennefer was okay and that there was no one trying to rob them or anything. However, what Triss had not expected was to find her friend with her hands inside another woman's underwear and mouth as busy as it was.</p><p>The two women in question had stood very still, unable to react in any way for the first few seconds. When some consciousness caught up with them, Yennefer leaned back a little, releasing Tissaia's nipple and then forward, trying to cover her body, even if it was a little too late. The teacher was still looking for how to react, but the two hands that still remained on her ass were not letting her assess the situation clearly. She hadn't even been able to turn her head and give a deadly look to whoever had dared to interrupt them.</p><p> </p><p>"I-I'm sorry, I heard bangs and I got scared..." whispered Triss.</p><p> </p><p>"Uh... This isn't that what it looks like?" Yennefer tried.</p><p> </p><p>Triss decided to look at her friend when she spoke to her, even though her own cheeks were dyed red.</p><p> </p><p>"So you weren't trying to get into my...?" And then she looked at the profile of the woman above her friend, realizing who it was. Her brain couldn’t take the effort to change the second word that would half escape her lips in an horrified shout until it was too late, "… mo-ss’s panties?! Tissaia!?"</p><p> </p><p>As if she had been slapped, Tissaia turned her head in the direction of Triss, her eyes widening with horror. Triss was scanning her boss with wide eyes and open mouth, not able to react for a few seconds.</p><p> </p><p>"Triss?!" If the earth were to open up and swallow her at that moment, Tissaia would be much happier.</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer had moved her head again, this time to lay her eyes on the woman who was still sitting on her. Gradually, the pieces began to fit suddenly. Why was she in the park that day next to the bio teachers' building? Vilgefortz. Where did she teach physics? Clearly in Thanned’s University. Hadn't Calanthe mentioned her name on one occasion, even? Probably yes. The figure who ran out of a hallway and that was so familiar to her that day in the physics building? Probably her too. Which also explained what he was doing at Tor Lara... Wait, hadn't Tissaia called Rita one day almost a month ago because she was bleeding to death? Speaking of Rita, hadn't she sent her at least twenty times to take things to Tissaia for a some of weeks and had stopped only the last one, clearly because Tissaia wasn't working? Did Rita know? Has she known all that time?!</p><p>
  <em>"Try not to get distracted by the very precious women that are physics teachers and be careful not to fall in love with my best friend".</em>
</p><p>Yennefer was going to kill Rita as soon as she saw her, and Tissaia would probably do the same if she didn't already know about it... Though actually, right now the chestnut seemed more worried about wanting to jump out the window than to kill anyone. Triss' eyes, on the other hand, reflected an expression close to horror.</p><p> </p><p>"I didn’t see anything," Triss turned around and went into the kitchen, wanting to forget everything she had just seen and vanish Yennefer trying to fuck her mother out of her thoughts.</p><p> </p><p>"Triss, wait".</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia took the opportunity to catch the sweatshirt that the brunette had dropped to the ground, putting it on and covering much of her body with it while she chased the younger woman. Although her legs and neck were in sight, the woman wasted no more time and followed Triss throughout the corridor, leaving behind a very confused and half-naked Yennefer. Tissaia wasn't sure if Triss was more worried about seeing her naked, catching her having sex with someone, or that person being one of her best friends, but the chestnut wasn't willing to let anything spoil her relationship with any of those two young women. The teacher stopped at the kitchen door and looked at Triss silently, for a few seconds, before approaching her.</p><p> </p><p>"Triss…"</p><p> </p><p>"You told me it wasn't that bad," she whispered, with her back to her, as she put water in the kettle.</p><p> </p><p>"Oh," so it had been nothing she had thought what had really affected her. Without adding anything else, Tissaia approached the young woman and hugged her by her back, circling her waist with both arms and resting her chin on her shoulder. "It looks worse than it is, I promise, love".</p><p> </p><p>"But..." Triss swallowed the knot that was forming in her throat and took a hand to her cheek to wipe some tears, "there were so many... And... The bruises…"</p><p> </p><p>"Shhh, come here," Tissaia loosened the hug so the woman could turn and hug her properly, carefully cradling her in her arms. "I promise you, Triss, it only seems serious," she felt bad about lying to her, but it was true that the worst was already over, at least as far as her neck was concerned; her ribs were gradually improving. She caressed the brown curls with tenderness, "it looks bad, but it won't always do".</p><p> </p><p>"Are you calling me ugly?" Yennefer leaned against the door frame with his arms folded and her pajamas on, drawing the attention of the other two women.</p><p> </p><p>Triss smiled a little, but she just tightened her hold on the older woman’s body, kind of protectively. Tissaia rolled her eyes, though she had no intention of complaining.</p><p> </p><p>"You called me 'angel' and 'star', you can't complain if I do call you ugly," the woman turned her head to look at her girlfriend with a little smile on her own lips.</p><p> </p><p>"Wait a minute... Yen is the mysterious girl?!" Triss raised her voice more than she had intended, as she separated a little from her boss so she could look her in the eye.</p><p> </p><p>"No, love, I just go around falling for all the gorgeous, brilliant, young women I find," Tissaia rolled her eyes.</p><p> </p><p>"Mysterious girl?" Yennefer raised both eyebrows, causing the chestnut to roll her eyes a second time.</p><p> </p><p>"I didn't want to say your name in the office in case... Well, in case anyone who shouldn't hear it could just do so," she whispered, looking down.</p><p> </p><p>What did she mean by...? Oh. Hadn't Vilgefortz gone looking for Tissaia in her office and practically scared her away after coming in without even knocking? Hadn't she seen Istredd himself with his ear stuck to someone’s door once? Also, what Triss had said the night they had both spent in the living room talking...</p><p> </p><p>"But yes, Triss, apparently my mysterious girl is also your friend," Tissaia acknowledged, letting the young woman go completely, now that she was calmer and seemed to have forgotten the state of her body.</p><p> </p><p>"And here I thought I was your girlfriend," Yennefer complained, approaching the smaller woman to hug her from behind, carefully, but tightly.</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia had the feeling that she was trying to make sure she was really there and protect her in some way. She took her hands into the brunette's arms and fondly caressed them, wanting to erase whatever worried her. Resting her back against Yennefer's chest, Tissaia smiled and settled between the brunette’s arms.</p><p> </p><p>"And since when does one thing take away the other? You can be everything you want."</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer's body relaxed instantly, as if she had only needed to hear those words; which caused Tissaia's heart to break a little more. She could never leave that woman, not when she knew how much she worried or hurt because of her. She'd better wait for her to get tired of her, because it was clear sooner or later, she was going to. Yennefer rested her cheek against the chestnut strands and smiled happily, watching Triss put the kettle on the fire.</p><p> </p><p>"Can I be Mrs. De Vries then?"</p><p> </p><p>"Mhm, cheeky," for a moment, Tissaia had forgotten poor Triss was still there, so she looked at her in surprise when she heard her ask.</p><p> </p><p>"Is Yennefer going to be my new daddy now?" Triss turned to look at her friend with a mocking smile.</p><p> </p><p>"What?" The brunette widened her eyes with mixed emotions, but mostly confused and surprised.</p><p> </p><p>"Triss!" Tissaia looked at her shocked, but as soon as the young woman laughed, she did the same, causing Yennefer to join them too, soon after that.</p><p> </p><p>"I was just curious," she managed to say after a minute or two, "though I'd appreciate it if you told me why Yen called you Sky and thought you were someone else".</p><p> </p><p>"What do you mean?" Tissaia threw her head back to look at Yennefer, confused.</p><p> </p><p>"Well... It's a long, pretty stupid story..." The brunette muttered, looking down, "Calanthe called you Sky the first night in Cintra, so..."</p><p> </p><p>"Are you telling me you've been thinking that Sky was my name for almost two months?" Tissaia had her eyebrows so raised that they almost reached her hairline. The situation was so ridiculous that she had to bite the inside of her cheek so as not to laugh again, "have you been dating me all this time without even knowing my name, Yenna?"</p><p> </p><p>"But don't laugh!" The brunette pouted.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm not laughing," but as soon as she finished saying that, the laughter began to escape her throat and she didn't bother to contain it, despite the light pain she felt while doing so.</p><p> </p><p>Triss looked at the two women with complete fascination, for she had never seen Tissaia laugh that way. At best, she had heard her drop some occasional cackle since she had met Yennefer, or when Vanielle and Rita really tried, but never more than one, so real and natural. Of course, Yennefer probably started tickling her, which didn’t help her exactly to calm down and get her usual poise back.</p><p>Oh, right, she said that when she met her boss's girlfriend, she had to thank her for making her smile that way, so she had to be true to that promise and talk to Yennefer. Perhaps, she would even take the opportunity to have a couple of words with her friend, about Tissaia's well-being, and vice versa.</p><p>Yennefer stopped her hands when Tissaia bent forward with a sharp gasp, recalling one of the most pronounced marks she had seen on the chestnut body. At first she hadn't thought it might be as serious as her mind wanted to make her think, but shortness of breath and that sudden reaction, said the exact opposite. Yennefer moved to surround Tissaia and knelt in front of her.</p><p> </p><p>"Lift up your sweatshirt," she whispered, swallowing as she watched Tissaia look away.</p><p> </p><p>"Yen..."</p><p> </p><p>"Please," the young woman tried to look for her eyes, and although she didn't find them, she saw Tissaia start rising her hoodie, stopping right at her breast to keep them covered; she knew exactly what the brunette wanted to check. Yennefer didn't touch the gaped area, but she did take a few seconds to examine it, with her hands on the woman's hips, "can you get straight?"</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia nodded and moved slowly, her whole face tense in an attempt to hide the pain. Triss was staring at them, her face painted with concern and some fear. At the time, the older woman was mentally cursing herself for lying a few minutes ago to the girl, for it was obvious that she was not as well as she had tried to show and now, she’d be exposed.</p><p>Yennefer carefully touched the outermost part of the swollen area, feeling the sudden tension in her girlfriend's torso and stopping there. She was sure Tissaia wasn't as irresponsible as going around with a broken rib, but it was likely that it was fractured and that the pain was very difficult to bear. The chest was a very complicated area because there was no way to immobilize a bone or part of it while it healed, so these would be constantly moving, with every breath, step or tension of its muscles; for this reason, a fractured rib could take four to eight weeks to heal properly, depending on the care given to the wound, and Tissaia had only been through the first one.</p><p> </p><p>"Have you had any X-Ray made?" Yennefer stopped looking at the bruise to return her eyes to the chestnut face and see how she shook her head, "you better than anyone should know that's the first thing you should have done," the younger woman rested her forehead against Tissaia’s abdomen and sighed.</p><p> </p><p>"It's not necessary, it’s a small fracture. Hopefully three or four weeks".</p><p> </p><p>"There could be complications," Yennefer protested, lowering the hoodie again.</p><p> </p><p>"There haven't been until now," Tissaia repressed a sigh, needing no more unnecessary movements.</p><p> </p><p>"Did you say that there could be complications?" Triss ignored the kettle behind her back, with water already boiling, her voice being little more than a faint and fearful whisper.</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia fulminated Yennefer with her gaze, probably for the first time since they met. The young woman had never seen a look like that in Tissaia’s eyes and she did not finish understanding what was causing that sudden change of humor. Until she saw the woman round her to approach Triss and take her cheeks very carefully between her hands.</p><p>Now that she was thinking about it, hadn't Vanielle said that Tissaia was like a mother to her friend? Triss had always defended Tissaia in front of everyone and was always angry when they laughed at her or mocked her, so it didn't seem crazy to think that; what Yennefer did not expect was that the feeling was in both directions… Until she remembered that, weeks ago, Tissaia had told her about her assistant and... Yes, it was clear that she was very fond of her and that she regarded her as a little sister or a daughter. Fuck. Triss had really been serious when she had asked if Yennefer was going to be her new daddy.</p><p>It was obvious how much Tissaia was concerned about what Triss thought or how she felt, so the brunette felt a little guilty for having caused that situation, even if it had been unconsciously. Quietly, she went up to the kettle to take it away from the fire, trying to give the two women a moment to relax the sudden tension of the atmosphere.</p><p> </p><p>"There can always be complications, but that doesn't mean there's going to be complications," Tissaia let her hands caress Triss' cheeks, trying to get her to look her in the eye," it really looks worse than it is, sweetie".</p><p> </p><p>"But it looked awful and you said it’s fractured and..." Her voice was so weak that Yennefer had difficulty hearing it and could feel her own heart shatter.</p><p> </p><p>"Love, the Artemis-12 also looked like rubbish, and, in the end, it wasn't a disaster," Tissaia whispered tenderly, smiling at her, "I'm not that old, but you've understood me perfectly".</p><p> </p><p>"You're not a spaceship," Triss looked down, "nor a machine. I don't want anything to happen to you, I don't want to lose you".</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia did not wait another second, choosing to wrap the young woman with both arms and narrow her between them. After leaving a kiss on her hair, she glanced sideways at Yennefer, not knowing very well what to say or do next; the situation was too delicate and she had not yet told the brunette the real danger to which she was exposed, so...</p><p> </p><p>"Which one of you is going to hit me first if I make a great joke about what I'd do if you were a real spaceship?" Yennefer offered, with a cheeky half-smile, as she put hot water in three cups.</p><p> </p><p>Triss snorted and sank further into the embrace, but Tissaia laughed, grateful for the help.</p><p> </p><p>"Don't even think about it," Tissaia left a caress in Triss' hair, after saying that.</p><p> </p><p>The woman was aware of how important a maternal figure was to Triss, after what had happened to her mother —murdered in a heist at the bakery she ran— and that she was left alone at such a young age, so she could not blame her for freaking out in that way at the prospect of something happening to her. Triss had been going from one foster home to another until she was had the legal age to not matter anymore. So, since she got into college, Tissaia had become a mother to her. At first, she had only been concerned about her situation and grades, but the more time she spent with her, the more affection she had been taking on her. Tissaia even offered her a fake scholarship just to make sure she could have a room on the university’s residence and money for any material she needed to study; she never had stopped to think if the girl ever discovered it was just a lie, but Triss never mentioned it either. Over the years their relationship had shifted and strengthened to the point that Triss loved her as much as she had loved her biological mother. And she wasn't prepared to see a second mother die.</p><p> </p><p>"Okay but think about the possibilities that would have mount--" Yennefer did not finish the sentence, because, at some point, Tissaia's hand had found her T-shirt and had pulled her close enough for their lips to meet in a kiss, with a clear intention of shutting her up and enough speed to do so.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm still present," Triss whispered, though she seemed more eager to laugh than to cry now. It was clear that they both knew how to encourage her and how tempting any romantic story or gesture was, "and I don’t want to see my mother getting laid in the kitchen, thank you very much".</p><p> </p><p>"Talk to your boss. I haven't done anything," Yennefer raised both eyebrows, in defensive gesture.</p><p> </p><p>"Don't you think stealing my heart is ‘<em>anything’</em>?" Tissaia rolled her eyes, pretending to be outraged.</p><p> </p><p>"Aaaaaaaaw!" And there was sweet Triss, smiling broadly again.</p><p> </p><p>"I can't believe I'm accused of something like this when clearly your hands are more skillful at everything than mine".</p><p> </p><p>"See what I have to put up with, Triss?" Tissaia was still hugging Triss with one of her arms and keeping Yennefer's shirt grided with the other. "This isn't paid for... Yennefer that hand!"</p><p> </p><p>Upon hearing it, Yennefer withdrew the hand he had casually left on Tissaia's ass, with as much disguise as possible.</p><p> </p><p>"I don't know what you're talking about. Though I could think of other ways to pay you," she shrugged. "I'm sure it was Triss".</p><p> </p><p>"Ugh! No! Stop right there!" Triss tried not to laugh again, but it was too hard for her "it was totally Yennefer!"</p><p> </p><p>"What have I missed? Sabrina, who had just returned from work, looked at the scene unfolding in the kitchen with clear confusion.</p><p> </p><p>"I’m trying to figure out who just touched my ass," Tissaia declared, without any qualms, "but these two ladies both deny it was them, have you seen anything?"</p><p> </p><p>"Hm... I think it was Triss, no doubt, she has a very guilty face," Sabrina tried to stay serious by watching her girlfriend widening her eyes in shock.</p><p> </p><p>"Nowadays no one can be trusted. Trust no one said Mulder once…" Yennefer took a hand to her chest, dramatically moving.</p><p> </p><p>"You're all horrible! I'm never going to talk to any of you again! Tell them something," Triss hid her face against Tissaia's shoulder, but when the woman started to laugh too, following the example of her two friends, she separated from her and went to a corner of the kitchen, so she could cross her arms and be with anyone who didn’t laugh at her, like the fridge.</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer circled Tissaia's waist again, as the woman turned to look at Sabrina, letting her hand come down again until it ended up in her girlfriend's ass. She tried to be as discreet as possible, as they all continued to laugh, but Triss looked at her so badly that she quickly raised her hand back to the teacher's hip, pulling her gaze away from her friend's face. Apparently, Triss could be scary sometimes, yup, better to behave with her close and keep her hands to herself.</p><p> </p><p>"Come on, Triss, I said it as a joke," Sabrina approached her girlfriend and left a kiss on her cheek, getting her expression to soften instantly and become a pout. "By the way, Calanthe told me to tell you to look at the phone, she doesn't know why you bought one if you’re not going to use it… She was kind of worried, but I told her you were probably tying Yen to the bed".</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia frowned, but she stood on her toes to leave a kiss on Yennefer's cheek, before leaving the kitchen to go to the brunette's room. It hardly took a few seconds, but when she returned, Yennefer had frowned and looked at her friend with her eyes squinted, just like Triss. Tissaia didn't dare ask what was going on, but she didn't need to, realizing what was going on within a moment. She could understand Triss not getting to know anything about Yennefer and her together and unaware of everything, but what was she doing in Yennefer's apartment? Was the brunette's best friend precisely her former student and her assistant's girlfriend? The obvious answer was yes, but if that was the case...</p><p> </p><p>"Have you known all this time?" Yennefer had crossed her arms.</p><p> </p><p>"Known what?" Sabrina didn’t even look them in the eye.</p><p> </p><p>"That Sky wasn't her name," the brunette snorted.</p><p> </p><p>When Sabrina did not respond instantly, Triss parted ways with her, clearly annoyed.</p><p> </p><p>"You knew she and Yennefer were together and you didn't think of telling me?"</p><p> </p><p>For her part, Tissaia could not blame Sabrina for having been hiding from her that she was her girlfriend's roommate, or that she did not even know her name; not when she herself had been lying to the people she loved the most for years.</p><p> </p><p>"Calanthe told me to give them time and space, so I decided not to get into anything... Besides, Triss, you better than anyone know how dangerous this whole situation is".</p><p> </p><p>"But I'm your girlfriend! You should trust me more! And Yen is your best friend! She deserved to know!" That said, Triss looked at Tissaia, just as angry and addressed those last words to her as well.</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia looked down, aware that she should have spoken to Yennefer before, and kept quiet, ready to take her share of blame. What she didn't expect was that it was specifically Yennefer who approached Triss, put a hand on her shoulder and tried to calm her down, coming out in her defense.</p><p> </p><p>"Triss, you can't blame them for worrying and being afraid... I mean, yes, it sucks not knowing that you're sleeping with the boss of one of your best friends, or that your married last name is going to be De Vries," she winked at Tissaia while saying that, "but sometimes a lot of things happen beyond our control and they could twist if we get in... And the best thing is simply to leave them be. Think of the day I met Vanielle," Yennefer tilted her head, her eyes a little colder, "if I'd known Tissaia was Tissaia, I'm sure Vilgefortz wouldn't have come out of that elevator alive".</p><p> </p><p>Triss said nothing at first, but then nodded only once, gradually giving in.</p><p> </p><p>"Which reminds me that I think both Rita and Vanielle know about us," Yennefer added, now looking at her girlfriend.</p><p> </p><p>"How...?" Tissaia had raised both eyebrows, hearing the names of her best friends. Maybe, and just maybe, the dinners they had been planning for the previous week wouldn't have been so necessary for anybody who wasn’t them.</p><p> </p><p>"This... Uhm… I'm Rita's adjunct teacher," she acknowledged the chestnut, appreciating the different changes in her face.</p><p> </p><p>Yes, Yennefer thought, Rita was definitely going to die soon at the hands of her best friend.</p><p> </p><p>"So you're finally coming to the office with us on Monday for breakfast without anyone ruining everything?" Triss' question eased some of the tension in the kitchen and led Yennefer to nod automatically. The smile that had been drawn on Tissaia's lips suggested that she had some plan in mind and she was going to be more than delighted to help her carry it out.</p><p> </p><p>"Well, if we're done looking for topics of conversation that make us argue, I'm going to go to sleep for a while, it’s six in the morning and my half boss half mother-in-law is too sexy to be dealt at this time in the morning," Sabrina complaining, stretching a little.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm sure you're able to find at least three more topics before you walk out that door, Brina," Yennefer left a kiss on Triss' cheek and left her go away, the half-made tea long forgotten.</p><p> </p><p>"It's not my fault you get so many things wrong," the blonde turned her eyes blank.</p><p> </p><p>Triss approached the kitchen door, stopping next to Tissaia to kiss her cheek as well.</p><p> </p><p>"Good night... I'm sorry about what I said, Yen's right," the youngest acknowledged, in a whisper.</p><p> </p><p>"Good night, honey," Tissaia first kissed her cheek and then her forehead, "but don't apologize for anything. You're right too, I should have talked to her first".</p><p> </p><p>"I..." Triss kept a low voice volume so only Tissaia could hear it, "I may have told her a few things last week. I was so scared that... I needed to talk to someone, I'm sorry".</p><p> </p><p>"It’s fine, Triss, really," Tissaia left a caress in her hair, and then pointed to Sabrina with her head, "go before she kills me with her gaze for continuing to steal her time with you".</p><p> </p><p>"Yes, mom," sang the young girl, "I love you, don’t be very loud, please".</p><p> </p><p>"You’re a brat," complained the teacher, "but I love you too and I can’t make any promise".</p><p> </p><p>Triss let out a little laugh at that joke, delighted that Tissaia would start using those kinds of metaphors and anything to make some joke. Maybe Yennefer would be a terrible influence, but Tissaia using that kind of language was entertaining.</p><p>Yennefer waited to hear Sabrina's bedroom door close, before walking to where Tissaia was and hugging her again, with great care, but making sure to keep her as attached to her as possible.</p><p> </p><p>"Are you all right?"</p><p> </p><p>"Yes, only exhausted," Tissaia rested her cheek against the young woman's shoulder and closed her eyes.</p><p> </p><p>"So, your name isn't Sky..." The ironic tone brought a little laugh to the chestnut, "and still you look like you belong to it".</p><p> </p><p>"So, you were interested in what your married name would be..." Tissaia replied amused with Yennefer reaction, for she had made the other woman blush, "did you really think I hadn't heard that?"</p><p> </p><p>"I had my hopes, yes... Anyway, I'm sorry about Triss, I didn't think she was going to react like that, nor that I had a step-daughter who is also one of my best friends".</p><p> </p><p>"For her it is a very delicate subject... Not because of the… Mistreatment, but because of the possibility of losing someone she cares about," Tissaia explained, "but you were worried too, so I can't blame you for anything".</p><p> </p><p>"Why didn't you go to the hospital?"</p><p> </p><p>"Because Stregobor would have taken care of me and I'd rather operate open-hearted on myself than let that man give me a stitch".</p><p> </p><p>"There are more doctors..."</p><p> </p><p>"And they would all have reported what happened to me or just look away, scared of what could happen to them if they spoke. You know it better than anyone, my shining star," Tissaia opened her eyes to look at Yennefer’s and shook her head. "Stop thinking it, what's done, is done. And speaking of my name, sometimes Cal calls me skylark. So, I guess that's what she didn't finish saying that night. The nickname is Nenneke’s fault, anyway</p><p> </p><p>"Oh... And I was going to say that you were my whole sky…" Yennefer pouted, slightly lifting her lower lip.</p><p> </p><p>"Yennefer, don't even think about..."</p><p> </p><p>"Or that I'd like to have you on top of me and keep me glued to the ground..."</p><p> </p><p>"One more and I swear to you..."</p><p> </p><p>"It should be impossible for you to be so perfect, but in this case, sky’s the limit," Yennefer laughed when Tissaia took her by the cheeks to kiss her; any attempt to add a fourth sentence, forgotten at the moment the chestnut’s tongue began to go over her lower lip. Now that neither Triss nor Sabrina were around, Yennefer let her hands down from Tissaia's waist to her ass, exerting some pressure to press her more against her. When they had to separate to catch their breath, Yennefer rested her forehead on the woman's and closed her eyes. "What did Calanthe want? Was it important?" While waiting an answer, Yennefer reached down the hoodie and inside Tissaia’s underwear to properly grab her butt.</p><p> </p><p>"I'll tell you tomorrow, let's go to bed," Tissaia tiptoed to give the brunette one last kiss, "and let’s sleep," that statement made them both laugh, but when they finally reached the mattress, it was impossible to say which one of them got slept first.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>First, the explanation: Jay and TheOne were the two first people on commenting about their theories of how things would be discovered and I really couldn't help the temptation to get poor Triss to walk on them and just blurting it all out (I am ot sorry, tho). Little wave to GayLlamaFromSpace, because she just knew Nenneke was going to find out since chapter 7 soooo, hiiiiii!</p><p> </p><p>Second, Adalia and Nenneke are very good friends and I don't know why I'm shipping them here because they were supposed to be just friends, but you see, things changed and now everybody is gay or bi. </p><p> </p><p>Anyway, the only comment I will ad, now you've supousedly read it, is: every action has its equal and opposite reaction.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Scalpel</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter has a couple of important keys that I won't reveal for now, but you might consider if you have any theories about what is really happening here *insert evil smile*</p><p>Thank you for keep reading, I hope you enjoy the chapter!</p><p>And stay safe, please.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tissaia woke up with the smell of freshly brewed coffee, only to meet Yennefer's eyes looking at her with adoration and affection. Her lips gave rise to a smile before the chestnut had a chance to even realize it. It was probably the first time the brunette had woken up before her, and the first time Tissaia didn't have to run out to go to work or avoid her girlfriend's roommates. In addition, it was also the first time that both were allowed to sleep late and were in no hurry to get out of bed. Tissaia was wearing Yennefer’s hoodie again and her panties; the brunette, on the other hand, only wore a short-sleeved T-shirt and the same amount of underwear.</p><p>Yennefer came closer to Tissaia to begin handing out kisses over her face, starting with her cheek and ending up on her lips, but being extremely careful with her wounded nose and cheekbone. The chestnut had let out some subtle laughter, when Yennefer's hair tickled her by rubbing on her neck and the young woman playfully bit her healthy cheek, refusing to let nothing and no one spoil that precious moment with the love of her life —because she was, and she wouldn’t accept anything else. Minutes later, Tissaia's head rested on the brunette's chest, her eyes open, gazing at the sky on the other side of the window. Neither woman had said anything yet, both fearful that fragile peace would be broken from one moment to the next. However, Yennefer was forced to intercede, before the coffee got too cold.</p><p> </p><p>"Good morning, professor De Vries" she whispered, letting her lips rub Tissaia's hair.</p><p> </p><p>"Hello, sweetie".</p><p> </p><p>"Wait, did you just follow one of my references?"</p><p> </p><p>"Did you just think of yourself as the Doctor?" Tissaia bowed her head enough to look at Yennefer, rather than the window, and steal her a kiss.</p><p> </p><p>"Doctor Who?"</p><p> </p><p>"Spoilers…"</p><p> </p><p>"Gods, I love you so damn much," Yennefer smiled broadly and kissed her again, "I've made pancakes with chocolate. Triss told me you don't eat anything sweet in the morning, so I promised her that I was planning to fix such a hideous crime. I can’t marry you if you don’t eat pancakes for breakfast," Yennefer spoke so solemnly that the chestnut had to contain her laughter.</p><p> </p><p>"Oh, is that so? And how are you going fix that, exactly?" Tissaia raised an eyebrow and Yennefer sketched a wolfish smile.</p><p> </p><p>"I have my methods," she said, as she bent down to capture the lips of the female.</p><p> </p><p>While Yennefer's intentions to take the situation beyond a few kisses were thwarted by the state Tissaia was in —physical activity and irregular breaths wouldn't help her rib— that didn't stop the chestnut from trying to make up for what had happened the week before. Yennefer did not complain, but when Tissaia lay down next to her again, looking at her with a mocking smile as it was the brunette who breathed choppily and tried to catch her breath, she felt an obligation to wipe that stupid smile off her lips with a kiss. The coffee was cold and the chocolate in the pancakes was no longer completely liquid, but neither of them commented on it, even when Tissaia broke her routine and accompanied her not ‘still boiling’ coffee with something sweet, rather than drinking it alone or eating something salty.</p><p>The chestnut had ended up sitting in front of her girlfriend letting their legs tangle, close enough to let her feed her on occasion, but not too much so she couldn’t keep her hands on her body all the time and distract her; because it was clear that they would not finish eating if that happened. Tired of the distance and muttering something about dying if she couldn't touch her, Yennefer lured Tissaia to her, causing her to end up sitting between her legs, the older woman’s shoulder against her chest and one of the brunette's legs above Tissaia’s. She curled up between Yennefer's arms, smiling when Yennefer surrounded her with both of them and pressed her lips on her forehead, not moving them from there for a while.</p><p>It was noon, but neither of them was particularly concerned about how the morning was progressing rapidly and they had not yet set foot out of bed —except for Yennefer, who had gone out to make breakfast— and had no intention of moving for the time being. However, Tissaia's consciousness was killing her, so she decided to start talking, as much as her throat allowed her before it was too late. She needed Yennefer to understand what was going on, to know that she was in danger, and to understand that it was best for her to stay away from her to be safe, even if the pain was unbearable for the teacher.</p><p> </p><p>"Yenna... How much did Triss tell you?" With her cheek resting on the brunette's chest and her eyes closed, she could perfectly feel how the brunette's body was suddenly tightening, "it’s fine, last night she told me she had told you something. I just want to know what you already know".</p><p> </p><p>"Last Friday she was feeling like shit. I'd never seen her like that before, not even when she argues with Brina... She was afraid she would have been lied to and very scared of you not recovering this time," Yennefer sighed, taking quite a while to get to the point. "She told me that Vilgefortz beat you, that, when you kicked her out of your office a few weeks ago, it was to protect her and that, when Rita came in, he was..." The young woman took a deep breath, trying to control the anger that remembering that conversation caused her. Tissaia raised a hand to caress the black mane, managing to make her girlfriend relax, "I guess that's when you called me from Tor Lara. I was at Vanielle’s office".</p><p> </p><p>"Oh," Tissaia pressed her body a little more against that of the brunette, unable to say anything at all.</p><p> </p><p>"I guess Rita knew what was going on, and that's why she insisted that I took the day off... I mean, you called me and not her, so I guess it was for something in special?" Although it had not been her intention, the brunette ended up turning that into a question and leaving a moment of silence in case the woman wanted to answer.</p><p> </p><p>"I needed you," she finally said, "Rita and Vanielle are fantastic and I love them more than I can put words in, but sometimes... I… I have very strong anxiety attacks, it's hard for me to get back to reality and calm down. But with you around, I feel safe. I mean, with them too, but when you hug me it's... Different," Tissaia shrugged her shoulders and played with a black lock, noticing the blush spread all over her face and thanking her when Yennefer hugged her with a little more force, "it wasn’t the first time you deescalated one of the attacks, so thank you, my love".</p><p> </p><p>"You could make me cross the entire continent even if you sent someone else to tell me you asked for me," the young woman kissed her hair, leaving one more moment of silence before continuing. "Back to the difficult conversation… Triss told me he beat you up and that she wasn't sure how you were really doing. When she calmed down a little, I told her that with Vanielle and Rita in between, I was sure it wasn't going to go unpunished, but she told me <em>that 'I didn't understand',</em>" both women released a sarcastic snort, which led them to smile, despite the conversation, "I asked her to explain it to me, but she told me she couldn't and wouldn’t betray you any further".</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer didn't say anything else after that, but Tissaia took at least five minutes to start talking. The brunette did not press her, standing still and attentive to every movement of her body and changing of her breathing.</p><p> </p><p>"At first it was just your file," the chestnut kept her eyes closed, "if I didn't start dating him, he would ruin my career. Stregobor would look at the file and convene a meeting to take away my license and prevent me from finishing the doctorate in Quantic at the university. I agreed to go out with him because I was afraid he might do that, but also because I thought I deserved it, as punishment for neglecting and let my patient kill herself. Still, I wasn't sure you killed yourself, I thought he killed you. The scalpels were far away, you had lost too much blood and your arms were too weak. If my calculation was correct, you wouldn't have been able to take a step out of bed, but... One way or another, it felt like the right thing to do. I should never have left that box".</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia stopped, her throat dried and aching. She had taken pauses between words, but the need to let it all out was too big for her to remain in control of her tongue. Yennefer was so tense and there was so much heat emanating from her body, that the chestnut feared it would burst from one moment to the next. However, the young woman stood still, silently, channeling all her emotions in such a way that her greatest movement was a trembling hand that caressed Tissaia's exposed arm. Tears soon came to the closed eyes of the chestnut. How could two people be so different from each other? And what had she done to deserve someone who treated her as well as Yennefer did, who cared that much?</p><p>The young woman had realized how Tissaia had begun to tremble, so the worry instantly invaded her. It wasn't just what she was telling her, because that reaction had taken a little longer to arrive, so Yennefer was worried about what she could have done to make the chestnut start shaking and... Was she crying? Yennefer would bet she was. She already noticed something warm and damp starting to slide down her bare chest, as she had just ended up completely naked a while ago. Without a word, she started to leave soft kisses over Tissaia's hair and face, hoping that might help her in some way.</p><p> </p><p>"Yenna?"</p><p> </p><p>"Yes?"</p><p> </p><p>"Can I have some water?"</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer nodded instantly and leaned back for a moment, to retrieve the bottle of water she had on her nightstand. The brunette realized how bad Tissaia was feeling because she didn't even give her a quick look to her body, avoiding her whole anatomy all the time and not just her eyes; Yennefer wasn't the only one who got lost with the other woman's body. Tissaia took the bottle and drank some water, before closing it and set it aside in bed. After a moment of doubt, the youngest again surrounded her with both arms and left some trembling and insecure caresses on her arm.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm here and I'm not going anywhere," Yennefer whispered, "you made me see life differently, and now I'm here with you, taking the second chance you gave me. I’m showing the world that they were wrong and that I'm the fucking boss," she winked one of her eyes and tried to smile while saying the last thing.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm sure that's not what I said," Tissaia complained, remarkably more relaxed by the way she had altered her original words. "I don't know if I'll be able to finish telling you everything, but I'm going to try," she waited for Yennefer to nod, took a breath carefully, and then continued with the story. "Over time I realized that I preferred my career to be ruined, as punishment for what I had done, I was willing even to go to prison, rather than stick with him. But he said that if I ever thought of leaving him, my patient wouldn't be the only person I knew who would lose her life. I was frightened," she confessed, stopping for a moment there, until she felt Yennefer's arms hold her tight again, as if she knew she felt the same way she did when she walked by the cliff on Sodden, so close to fall... "I didn't want anything to happen to my family and... Over time I began to think he wouldn't do anything, but I once saw him talking to Vanielle, he was really mad about something. I know he’s jealous of her and Rita, he has always been. He hated me spending time with them and said he would go after them if I kept seeing them," the chestnut sighed. "A couple of days after seeing them talk, the brakes on Vanielle's car broke. She noticed before leaving the parking lot, so she called the mechanic and nothing else happened, but..."</p><p> </p><p>When Tissaia stopped after that, Yennefer grabbed the water bottle and offered it to her, not letting her give it back until she got a sip and regained her breath, as she tried to leave all kinds of caresses and kisses through Tissaia’s body in an attempt to comfort her.</p><p> </p><p>"I know that the accident Pavetta, my niece and Ciri’s mother, died in was his fault," Tissaia took a hand to her own cheek to try to wipe some tears, "so I can't leave him or do anything that makes him too angry because I know he's going to really go after my family, that he's going to try to kill you all," Tissaia's body was shaking again, but this time a hoarse sob left her throat, "and I can't let that happen, even if it costs me my life. I can't let him do anything to Cal, Ciri, Triss... Can’t let him hurt you. And now he knows I cheated on him and he was furious, but I didn’t tell him who you were because I rather die than see you hurt."</p><p> </p><p>Hearing that she was talking about her, Yennefer twisted her lips, annoyed. Did that piece of shit really dare to use her as blackmail? And what was that <em>'even</em> <em>if it costs me my life' </em>or the <em>‘I rather die than see you hurt’?</em> Yennefer was unwilling to let him put his hand back on Tissaia, she didn't care if that meant her own physical integrity was in danger. She'd kidnap Tissaia if she had to, if with that she could protect her from anything.</p><p> </p><p>"I can't risk doing anything, I'm not going to put you in danger under any circumstances," Tissaia added, assuming what she should be thinking, "that's why we should stop seeing each other."</p><p> </p><p>"You said we <em>should</em>... "</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia threw her head back to look at Yennefer with bright eyes and a clearly pained smile.</p><p> </p><p>"Would you be willing to stop seeing me and put an end to our relationship here?"</p><p> </p><p>"I'd rather die," Yennefer acknowledged, with a sigh, "I don't want to stop spending all my time with you, unless I knew you really wanted me to. I mean, if you really don’t want me, I’ll leave you alone, but I love you and I want to be your girlfriend, date you, maybe marrying you and have a kid… But I don’t want to stop seeing you, much less now that I know I can go bother you in your office with any stupid excuse".</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia took her right hand to the young woman's neck and lured her to join her lips, not wanting to persuade her not to do something as stupid as that, because the truth was that she would be happy to have Yennefer in her office all day. When her lips parted, Tissaia spoke again, her voice being a whisper.</p><p> </p><p>"Promise me you'll be careful..." The blue eyes met the violet’s and watched them seriously, "I can't lose anyone else. I don't want to lose you, not again".</p><p> </p><p>"You're not going to lose me, Tissaia," Yennefer remained serious, even though her lips curved slightly with her next words, "although if Vilgefortz comes near me, I won't take responsibility for h..."</p><p> </p><p>She didn't finish the sentence, the chestnut lips again sealing her own and preventing her from speaking for a few minutes. Tissaia was the first to speak once their mouths barely separated a few inches, not wanting to let Yennefer continue what she had tried to say before.</p><p> </p><p>"Calanthe texted last night to tell me that I had to go home today," Tissaia rested her cheek on Yennefer's chest, "family lunch… She must have told mom what happened".</p><p> </p><p>"Hm... Is the great Tissaia de Vries going to be scolded?" Yennefer used her most mocking tone to say that. "I bet your students would pay me a fortune if I recorded a video of that... Of course, now that I think about it, I could become rich by selling them pictures of you in lingerie or with my hoodies. I'm sure more than one has fantasies about you, they’re humans after all".</p><p> </p><p>"You're an idiot," Tissaia rolled her eyes, after giving her a gentle blow to her arm. "Nobody has fantasies about me and don't even think about recording anything".</p><p> </p><p>"But I’m your idiot and you don’t have the ticket to return me… Anyway, I do have fantasies about you, and they are amazing," Yennefer raised an eyebrow, outraged, "I have hem every night. It's impossible not to have them when you see a goddess... I could even tell you about a few of them… I mean, obviously the real thing is much better."</p><p> </p><p>"Don't start," she warned, though, as always, it was of no use to the young woman.</p><p> </p><p>"A goddess I would be delighted to worship on my knees... Over," Yennefer sought Tissaia's lips, "and over," lips joined again, "and over again".</p><p> </p><p>The last kiss was much longer, slower and more affectionate than all the previous ones, getting both to end with accelerated breathing and their legs much more tangled between the sheets. The sweatshirt that Tissaia wore was halfway up and Yennefer's two hands in contact with her skin. The ‘trying not to have sex until Tissaia was recovered’ was going to be impossible since Yennefer couldn’t keep her hands to herself.</p><p> </p><p>"Come with me," Tissaia said, tilting her head to one side.</p><p> </p><p>"As soon as your rib is healed and I can fuck you senseless I will gladly do so".</p><p> </p><p>"I didn’t mean it like that," Tissaia laughed softly, "though I think I could make you come for me while you can’t touch me… But, before you distract me too much, will you?"</p><p> </p><p>"Where?" Yennefer went over the chestnut's neck with her tongue first and then with her lips.</p><p> </p><p>"Stop turning me on if you're going to leave me horny and bothered," she complained in a gasp, making the brunette doubt, but she eventually left her skin alone, pulling both hands off from under her clothes. With a disappointed expression, Tissaia snorted, hating her husband a little more for ruining absolutely everything without being even present. "To my mother's house... I know your friends, you know mine... Well, more or less".</p><p> </p><p>"Are you telling me I'm not going to be able to go and have dinner with Rita and Vanielle anymore and fake how surprised we are about the fact that they've been laughing at us and we both are suuuuuper shocked?"</p><p> </p><p>"Oh no, for that I have some very specific plans..." Tissaia sketched an evil smile that looked very hot, in Yennefer’s opinion, "but I really want to introduce you to my mother and if Calanthe tells her that we've spent the night together and that I haven't taken you… Well, I’m too old to be punished by my mother in a very not kinky way instead of by my girlfriend in a totally kinky way".</p><p> </p><p>"You actually took me…" Yennefer laughed when the woman bit her neck as protest, "for once, I'm not going to be the one to scold," Yennefer joked.</p><p> </p><p>"I'd like to have you with me..."</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer began to accept before realizing, too surprised by her girlfriend's adorable expression. How could anyone in their right mind say no to Tissaia? What the fuck was wrong with her students to hate her so much? Were they brainless? Blind? Deaf? Just stupid? They had the chance to stare at her for hours and they just insulted her? What the fuck?</p><p> </p><p>"Alright, but what if she hates me?"</p><p> </p><p>"No one could hate you," Tissaia smiled so tenderly and sincerely, that the brunette's heart melted instantly and her eyes filled with tears, "hey, I mean it. You may be stubborn, pigheaded and have the worst jokes on the universe, but you're one of the best people I've ever met, and not in a million years I could deserve a single second of your attention".</p><p> </p><p>"What are you saying? That's not..." Yennefer frowned, when lips on her own didn't allow her to continue.</p><p> </p><p>Still, any attempt to complain and argue died with Tissaia's next whisper.</p><p> </p><p>"My lovely blue star".</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer pulled her to sit her on her lap. They still had to shower and get dressed —Tissaia assured her that she had clothes at her mother's house and she didn’t have to worry about her— but that didn't stop them from losing until the last minute of time available.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>When Yennefer got out of the car, she was surprised to see that there were at least three other vehicles, besides hers, parked on the dirt road connecting the house to the main road. That area on the outskirts was practically uninhabited, for all those who had lived there had ended up leaving for the city or somewhere outside Thanedd, but that only caused the different meadows and extensions of land to be covered by trees and flowers, with no one to disturb their growth. Adalia's house had two floors —large enough to house two families— and an attic, covered by a gable roof with a circular window in the center. On the ground floor were the living room, a bathroom, an office that the woman used, the kitchen and the dining room; on the upper floor were the rooms of Adalia, Calanthe and Tissaia, plus two more bathrooms and a fourth guest room.  Despite the layout of the rooms, the house could be altered enough to contain many more people, if necessary.</p><p>Tissaia took Yennefer's hand and intertwined her fingers, giving her a soft smile to cheer her up, aware of how tense and worried she was. To the surprise of the chestnut, her girlfriend did care what her family might think of her and was, again, completely opposite to <em>him</em>; something certainly tender and adorable.</p><p> </p><p>"Everything will be fine, mom is like Calanthe," but scarier, which Yennefer didn’t need to know, "and you already know Nenneke," though Tissaia would have wanted Yennefer to meet two more people —one of which she hadn’t seen in nineteen years—, Tissaia just pulled from Yennefer’s hand so she could make her closer and steal her a kiss, smiling brightly at her and unaware to the woman who looked at them from one of the windows. "If Calanthe and Nenneke haven't scared you so far, mom won't either… Though try not to listen to whatever nasty things she says".</p><p> </p><p>"Are you sure they won’t kill me for dating you?"</p><p> </p><p>"You have my word..." Tissaia smiled, though even she was starting to get nervous now, "I won’t let them do anything to you".</p><p> </p><p>"Alright, let’s go then," Yennefer took a deep breath and let the chestnut pull her to the house.</p><p> </p><p>On the porch there were three men dressed in black suits, who greeted Tissaia animatedly, completely ignoring the state in which her face was set. They all knew they shouldn't ask about it, but they wouldn't have done it either, even if Nenneke hadn't told them anything. Vesemir had seen Tissaia grow since she was a baby, so his face became noticeably overshadowed, even if he tried to smile to disguise it; it was clear that if he did not know what had happened, he could sense it. Eskel and Lambert simply winked at Tissaia with cheeky smiles, as soon as they saw that she was accompanied by a shockingly attractive woman. They'd probably have more to gossip about now. Those men were practically family to her, as they had been accompanying Nenneke back and forth for at least twenty five years; except for Vesemir, who probably was working for her much longer, now like her chauffeur and former bodyguard. The two younger men had always been big and strong, so their age had never really mattered as long as they could fulfill their role as bodyguards.</p><p> </p><p>"Good afternoon," Tissaia smiled and turned to Yennefer, who kept playing with her fingers, clearly restless, "Vesemir, Eskel, Lambert, she is Yennefer..."</p><p> </p><p>"Your girlfriend," Vesemir stroked her moustache with a big smile, "her highness has told me something about it, yes".</p><p> </p><p>"Yennefer," Tissaia whispered, completely blushing, "they are Lady Nenneke's current bodyguards and chauffeur… But don’t let them trick you, they are part of the family as well".</p><p> </p><p>"We met the other day in Cintra," Eskel provided, rising to offer a hand to the brunette, "I’m sorry I kinda scared you then".</p><p> </p><p>"It's okay," Yennefer first shook Eskel's hand and then Lambert's, being surprised by Vesemir, who moved enough to give her two kisses on her cheeks instead. "I guess that was the idea".</p><p> </p><p>"In fact, it was. Her highness uses to hate anybody dating Tissa".</p><p> </p><p>Eskel laughed, kissed Tissaia's cheek and sat down again, Lambert imitated him and Vesemir, instead of her cheek, kissed Tissaia’s forehead, accompanying them to the door.</p><p> </p><p>"They're all in and waiting".</p><p> </p><p>"Are things too tense for you to not want to join us?" Tissaia whispered.</p><p> </p><p>"Hopefully between Cirilla and Yennefer, they'll calm down a little bit, meanwhile, we’ll stay out of trouble... These days both were scary dragons whose egg had been threatened," Vesemir smiled lightly and left one last kiss on Tissaia's forehead, "my best wishes, little girl, a long afternoon awaits, and you still owe me a walk and plenty of gossips," then, he turned his head to the brunette, "it's been a pleasure meeting you, Yennefer, I hope we can talk properly in the future".</p><p> </p><p>"The pleasure is all mine, sir".</p><p> </p><p>With a slow, deep sigh, Tissaia nodded and sketched a warm smile. Yennefer squeezed her hand with some strength, seeking to reassure her.</p><p> </p><p>"Thank you, Vesemir, I’ll see you in a while".</p><p> </p><p>With that said, Tissaia used her free hand to push the door and went into the house, closely followed by Yennefer. The hall was empty, and it faced directly the side of a staircase that went up to the second floor, which had a small cupboard underneath. On the right was the kitchen, on the left the living room and the dining room, divided by a wall with a wide opening that connected them. Ciri ran from the kitchen to the dining room, laden with glasses and cutlery, but instead of placing them, she left them all on the table and ran to where Tissaia and Yennefer were, a big smile drawn on her lips.</p><p> </p><p>"Aunt Ti! You brought Yen!" Ciri approached the woman to hug her carefully and kiss her cheek, then she throwed herself into the brunette's arms.</p><p> </p><p>"Yes, although I don't know if I'm going to have to worry about you trying to flirt with her," Tissaia raised an eyebrow, watching how Yennefer held Ciri and making the younger women laugh.</p><p> </p><p>"It's good to see you, Ciri," Yennefer kissed her cheek too.</p><p> </p><p>"Nop, she's all yours, but then I have to tell you about <em>you-know-who</em>"<em>.</em></p><p> </p><p>"If mom lets me go out of this alive, I'm all yours," the chestnut whispered.</p><p> </p><p>Ciri nodded and let the two women move forward, while she was going to set the table with Eist's help. The man barely raised his head to greet them with a smile; it was clear that dealing with three women, probably enraged, such as Nenneke, Adalia and Calanthe, was a challenge for which he had not been prepared. Tissaia looked at him with guilt and Eist downplayed the situation, before moving his head towards the kitchen.</p><p> </p><p>"Do you feel like a lamb on its way to the slaughter too?" Yennefer whispered.</p><p> </p><p>"No, sweetie, I'm the lamb," Tissaia pulled on her to kiss her one last time, and then she walked to the kitchen.</p><p> </p><p>Calanthe was checking the state of the lasagna in the oven, while Adalia and Nenneke were sitting at the table, each with a glass of wine and a distinctly tense expression. Tissaia stopped at the doorstep, daring not even to breathe and attract a minimum of attention; Yennefer, worried, stuck a little more to her and slid her arm down her waist, trying to quietly tell her that she was there and that she wouldn’t let anything happen to her; after all, she was the actual intruder. Nothing had prepared her for the fragile and fearful way in which words left Tissaia's lips in little more than a whisper.</p><p> </p><p>"Good afternoon," Tissaia had practically sunk her side against Yennefer, seeking shelter in her arms. She could understand that they hate her, she did hate herself too, but she was afraid that the day had finally come when they would stop talking to her and pretend they loved her, when they’d throw her out at once.</p><p> </p><p>Adalia was the first to raise her head and fix her eyes on Tissaia, the gaze of the chestnut fixed on her own feet, as if she had been caught committing a horrible mischief. Nenneke did not move a single centimeter and Calanthe decided that lasagna was much more interesting at the time. Yennefer was clearly upset at the idea that anyone could blame Tissaia for what had happened, so she did not move away from her when she saw Adalia rising and approaching them. She stared at the female, daring her to say something nasty to her daughter. The gray-haired woman carried her two hands to her daughter's cheeks and analyzed her face thoroughly, prolonging the silence that had been established in that kitchen. When Tissaia finally managed to gather enough strength to look at Adalia, the woman's gaze was extremely fierce and... Affectionate? Why was she showing her affection instead of pity, disappointment or shame? Even disgust had been expected but…</p><p> </p><p>"Don't you dare apologize for absolutely nothing," Adalia's voice was so firm that Yennefer was startled at first, "you're not to blame for anything that's happened. And while we would have liked you to tell us or to have known sooner, we're not mad at you. It wasn’t your fault, you have nothing to be afraid of and Nenneke and I will take care from now on. Is it clear?" Despite how threatening her voice was, Yennefer could tell it was the only way to make Tissaia understand she wasn’t lying, for she could be very insecure when things were related to the people she loved.</p><p> </p><p>It was enough for Yennefer to hear that to relax a little more. Slowly, she began to separate from Tissaia, although she stopped when the chestnut hand grabbed hers tighter. Now there was enough distance between them that Adalia could wrap her daughter with both arms and hold her tightly —and yet, so carefully that Tissaia could only close her eyes and bury her face against her shoulder so that no one would see her cry—, while trying to convince her that none of what had happened was her fault, as she probably was thinking. Tissaia's free hand rested on Adalia's back, clinging to her shirt as if she were going to leave and abandon her from one moment to the next.</p><p>The young woman knew that was exactly what worried her and that Calanthe's work trying to convince her that it would never happen, would possibly last her whole life. However, Yennefer was calmer now that she saw that her concern about the attitude of her girlfriend's family was totally unfounded and there was no reason to fear that they would blame her. Adalia was more than aware that Tissaia was crying, so she didn't move for a while, giving her time to calm down and wipe away tears in disguise. Meanwhile, Nenneke had stood up and looked at Yennefer with a half-smile, finally deciding to end that horrible silence.</p><p> </p><p>"Who was going to tell us that the little skylark would finally bring her girlfriend to a family meal, after so long asking her to do so," the Duchess shook her head back and forth, trying not to laugh at the sight of Yennefer tightening as all the nerves returned to her body.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm sure she wouldn't have brought her if you hadn't told mom that you knew her already," Calanthe added, looking at Yennefer with a mocking smile.</p><p> </p><p>"No one tells me anything anymore in this family," Adalia turned a little with a dramatic look on her face, though Tissaia was still hiding in her arms, refusing to look at the rest.</p><p> </p><p>"I did tell you about her," whispered the teacher.</p><p> </p><p>"Wait, you told your mother about me?" Yennefer raised both eyebrows, surprised, making the three older women laugh.</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia turned her head just enough to look at her, so she was the only one able to see part of her tearful face, slightly blushing and nodding. Yennefer wanted nothing but to kiss the tears away and cradle her, but she was sure it was her mother’s love what her girlfriend needed right then.</p><p> </p><p>"It’s important to know what state your daughters' sex lives are in," Adalia explained, with the same mocking smile Calanthe had outlined before. At the time, Yennefer felt that someone was setting her on fire, at the very least, because of the intense heat she was suddenly feeling… And it was not the kind of good heat Tissaia awakened on her, but more of a shameful one. "Oh, I know absolutely everything that happened in the office, just in case you were wondering".</p><p> </p><p>"Mom!" Tissaia threw her head back, blushing as much as Yennefer and with her eyes as wide as humanly possible, "I’m not telling you anything ever again!"</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer had been silent, for the first time in her life, and she was looking at the old lady completely horrified. Tissaia had separated a little from Adalia to make her girlfriend come closer to her, trying to shield her from what was going to be —as Vesemir had said— a very long afternoon.</p><p> </p><p>"No way, you are going to have to catch me on that, I haven't heard the details yet," Nenneke said, with the glass of wine back in hand. Both Tissaia and Calanthe were sure that Adalia would have told her absolutely everything by now, so she was just doing it to tease and steal some years of life from Yennefer.</p><p> </p><p>"It was Calanthe's fault," Tissaia whispered to Yennefer, as she backed one step and circled her waist, in a clear attempt to flee the situation.</p><p> </p><p>Adalia returned to the table to retrieve her glass of wine and shook her head.</p><p> </p><p>"But you knew Yennefer before, we have to balance things out somehow".</p><p> </p><p>"Because I found them in the office with the tongues up to their throat," the coarse way in which the Duchess said that surprised all but Adalia, who laughed hard, "and I’m glad it was only the throat".</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia and Yennefer were just a comment away from running out of there, changing their names and kingdom, but neither moved a single muscle or said anything, afraid to make the situation worse.  And, as always, it had to be Calanthe who came out to her sister's rescue.</p><p> </p><p>"Poor girls, you're going to convince them not to come back anymore," the brunette sighed dramatically, and approached them with two glasses of wine, waiting for them to be taken. She winked at them, before turning.</p><p> </p><p>"We are not girls," Tissaia complained, though the hoarse way in which the last word got stuck in her throat attracted the worried and sudden attention of the other four women. The chestnut stuck her eyes on the ground, daring not say anything else.</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer acted as fast as she could, drinking some wine before leaving the glass on the countertop and looking at Adalia, with a shy smile.</p><p> </p><p>"This... It is a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. de Vries," the young woman reached out to the old woman, relaxing when she saw the loving smile she dedicated to her, before rising up and shaking her hand.</p><p> </p><p>"The pleasure is all mine, Yennefer " the woman lured her to give her a hug, forcing her to part with Tissaia, and then she whispered with icy voice, "I want to talk to you alone. Blink twice if you understand".</p><p> </p><p>Adalia leaned back and Yennefer blinked quickly at least five times, to make sure the old lady had seen her do it. With a quick glance into the oven, Nenneke stood up and told Calanthe to remove the lasagna from the inside.</p><p> </p><p>"I don't know about you but messing with the youth makes me hungry".</p><p> </p><p>They all nodded, including Yennefer and Tissaia, who were still seriously considering their current identities. Maybe they'd have a chance as bank robbers or opening a roadside bar... Nothing had to be ruled out at the moment.</p><p> </p><p>"Yen, can you take the dishes to the table?" Calanthe offered her a mountain of plates that the brunette did not hesitate to catch, while nodding in silence.</p><p> </p><p>As soon as Yennefer disappeared through the door, Tissaia flashed them three with her gaze.</p><p> </p><p>"Would you mind relaxing a little and not trying to make her run away? If I knew you were going to be like this to her, I would not have brought her," Tissaia was having a hard time uttering all those words in a row and had to stop several times, but none of the three dared answer her; they were too surprised that she reacted that way. Tissaia did not just look at them badly and silently, as she used to, but she looked really upset about their behaviour. Again, they recalled it wasn’t just anyone —because Tissaia hadn’t cared about how they treated her husband, not really—, but she was the woman that had managed to crumble her barriers and get into her heart, even if she was married, scared of surrounded by powerful terrifying women. "Yennefer is one of the most wonderful people I've ever known, and I don't want you to scare her at the first family reunion. I love her and I won’t let you fright her away as happened with Vanielle… And yes, I know what happened, I got her drunk and made her tell me," the chestnut had to drink some wine to clear her throat, "so she’d better be here when I get back or else it’s going to be me the one not coming back for lunch ever again. Am I clear?"</p><p> </p><p>Part of Adalia couldn’t be prouder of how she had influenced her daughter temper, and she knew Nenneke was proud too.</p><p> </p><p>"True," Calanthe said after nearly a minute's silence, twisting her lips in a half smile, "you're still wearing last night's clothes… Rough night, I see".</p><p> </p><p>By the way Tissaia looked at her glass of wine, the two old ladies began to fear that Calanthe's life would be in danger, but eventually everything was left in a silent warning. Nenneke was the first to react, approaching the teacher and placing —surprisingly carefully— a hand on her forearm.</p><p> </p><p>"Just this once," the old lady smiled at the young woman's exasperated look, but even more so when Tissaia tiptoed to be the one to leave a kiss on her cheek, "okay, maybe this once and the next time," she turned her head to leave a kiss on Tissaia's temple, and then left the kitchen to go to the dining room. She was really weak for that kid.</p><p> </p><p>"I'll have plenty of opportunities in the future," Calanthe said, leaving the lasagna on the countertop to cool down a little bit.</p><p> </p><p>Adalia shrugged, but that was enough for Tissaia to allow her shoulders to relax and turn her back on them to go upstairs and change clothes. The gray-haired woman waited until she heard the soft click of the bedroom door closing to look at Calanthe, emptying the glass of wine in one sip.</p><p> </p><p>"What makes you think they're going to last enough to have a chance in the future?"</p><p> </p><p>"I've seen them together and I’ve seen them apart. I’ve been present on half of their dates during the last months," the brunette smiled, looking towards the door, "and even if she looked shy, she was willing to rip our heads off when they came in if we dared to say the slightest thing to Tissaia about what happened last week".</p><p> </p><p>"I've noticed... And given how scary each one of us is, now that we three were together, I was surprised to see that challenge in her eyes," the old lady grasped Tissaia's and Yennefer's glasses to take them to the table, "do you really think it won't be a temporary thing, a fling?  I know your sister never takes things lightly, but I don't know Yennefer".</p><p> </p><p>"What did Nenneke tell you?" Calanthe crossed her arms.</p><p> </p><p>"Does it really matter?"</p><p> </p><p>"You're asking me what I think when your first impression was probably more conditioned by hers than anything else, so yes, mama, it matters," the younger woman rolled her eyes and waited.</p><p> </p><p>"She told me she looked like a good girl and that she liked her for Tissaia".</p><p> </p><p>Calanthe let her jaw drop and raised her eyebrows so much that anyone could say they were about to come out of her head. Nenneke had never ever before approved anyone for Tissaia, not even Rita or Vanielle, even if, in the last case, they had never come to anything —surely because of how unintuitive the chestnut could be with the emotions and feelings of the rest, as well as some persuasion on the part of the Duchess that she would never recognize have anything to do—, so hearing that Nenneke had approved someone was as surprising as it was unlikely. However, Calanthe had to bite her tongue before allowing the comment, that appeared in her mind at first, to come out of her lips. No, to say that Nenneke would have to be dying to approve someone for either of them was not something she was going to say out loud. If she didn't talk about the Duchess's near death, that meant it didn't exist, right?</p><p> </p><p>"Give her a chance and trust Tissaia's heart, mom. I haven’t stand their pining for weeks and their secret romance after that for you to kill my sister-in-law the first time you see her".</p><p> </p><p>After saying that, Calanthe grabbed the tray with the lasagna and took it to the dining room, followed by her mother, who left the three glasses of wine in the corresponding places. Eist was sitting between Calanthe and Ciri on one side, Adalia would sit at one end of the table, flanked by her two daughters, Yennefer next to Tissaia, and Nenneke on the other side of the table. Yennefer was able to get a pretty quick idea of who the free seat belonged to, next to her, but she didn't even dare to think about what Tissaia had told her that very morning, no matter how much she wanted to find out about it.</p><p>Surprisingly, the conversation that took place before and during the meal was much calmer and less aggressive than the one in the kitchen when Tissaia and she had arrived, so the young woman could only thank the gods for that. Even with Tissaia absent, changing her clothes, the young woman did not find a single problem to mingle into the conversation; so, when the chestnut came down and found that her mother and girlfriend were laughing at something as if they've known each other all their lives, a big weight disappeared from her chest. The woman took a seat, and it wasn't until then that they all started eating.</p><p>To Tissaia's surprise, Yennefer offered to help Adalia scrub the dishes and Nenneke asked her for a walk, just seconds later, telling her she had a letter that she had been asked to deliver. There was absolutely nothing, from then on, that she could do to protect her girlfriend, but she was confident that Calanthe would intercede if Adalia decided to be too harsh with her. Resigned, Tissaia rose from the table and followed Nenneke to the back door and then through the garden, until they crossed the back fence and headed to the small forest a few yards away.</p><p>Yennefer thanked Ciri with a smile for helping her bring the dishes to the kitchen, but told her not to worry, because she was already in charge of washing them. Adalia soon joined her, closing the kitchen door in her wake, to make sure no one interrupted them. No one would dare, anyway.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm sorry I came unannounced, Mrs. de Vries," Yennefer muttered, too uncomfortable with the silence between the two since the old lady had begun to dry the dishes she was washing.</p><p> </p><p>"Nonsense, Calanthe called me last night to tell me you were all coming for lunch today".</p><p> </p><p>"Tissaia asked me this morning If I wanted to come..." Yennefer frowned.</p><p> </p><p>"That poor creature is too innocent for her own good," the old woman confessed with a sigh, setting aside the plate she was holding in her hands and turning to the brunette. "Look, she's probably going to be angry because she's already warned us about trying to scare you or threaten you, but..."</p><p> </p><p>"With all due respect, ma'am," Yennefer whispered, turning her head to look her in the eye, her voice was firm, despite keeping a low tone and trying to swallow her fear, "nothing you say or do is going to scare me or make me want to stop being with your daughter. And the truth is, I don't care if my life is in real danger or not, if you want to kill me, break my legs or just hate me. I love her and I'm not going to let anything, nor anyone, take me away from her, unless she's the one who doesn't want to be with me. In that case I will just step aside and deal with the aftermath… So you can feel free to say as much as you wish, I won’t go away, I won’t be scared and I won’t tell her".</p><p> </p><p>Surprised by the young woman's outburst, Adalia waved her head while still looking at her curiously. Her dark brown eyes scrutinized every last detail of Yennefer's face, with more than obvious intrigue over how someone so young could be talking as seriously about something as severe as putting her life at risk. Adalia hadn't seen one person as stupidly in love with another, as it was Yennefer's case with Tissaia, for many years —Eist didn’t count, he was just… Well, he was cute and nice too—, so she hadn't been prepared for the fact that, instead of being defensive, the brunette would try to clear things up from the start.</p><p>So that was what Nenneke meant when she told her that Yennefer was pure chaos, one of the most honest people she'd ever met and that she couldn't imagine anyone better for her daughter.</p><p> </p><p>"In that case, I hope you will be consistent with your words... I can’t and I won’t stand anyone hurting my family, and that includes breaking my little girl's heart," Adalia took another plate and started drying it, "I'm not going to ask you how much you know, or how you found out, but I want you to keep in mind that no one comes out of something like that, so you better treat her as she deserves. I don’t need a doctorate to grab a scalpel and dissect you", Vilgefortz didn’t know where he had stepped on.</p><p> </p><p>"She told me last night... Well, she explained it better this morning," the brunette acknowledged with a thread of voice, not understanding why suddenly her eyes were pricking. She forced herself to stare at the dishes, as she rinsed them, trying to contain that stupid need to cry.</p><p> </p><p>"We're not going to talk about it, it doesn't make sense, and it's probably better that we don't give it many thoughts," Adalia placed a hand on Yennefer's back, "but I swear that if you break her heart or make her cry, I'm not going to forgive you in all your life, which I expect to surpass".</p><p> </p><p>"Ma'am, even if I wasn't in love with your daughter," Yennefer blushed in saying that, "I wouldn't be able to hurt someone as perfect as she is. Even I know that the woman who saved my life deserves better than me".</p><p> </p><p>"What do you mean?" Adalia frowned, "did you have an accident or something? I thought it was you who gave her a hoodie because it was cold".</p><p> </p><p>"And it was raining," she said, "but no, the… Thing was a long time ago. Eleven years. I... I thought the world was better off without me in it, but Tissaia thought differently and saved my life. Although more than thinking, she was doing her job," she whispered, distracted. Why was she being that open with Tissaia’s mother? Why couldn’t she just shut up? "Apparently, she's been thinking since then that I was dead, but clearly I'm not…" Great, Yennefer, just tell her how you make her daughter scream, fuck.</p><p> </p><p>"Are you the patient who allegedly committed suicide?" Yennefer nodded, embarrassed, but the old lady frowned remarkably, "though you didn’t, from what you say and I can see... Did she tell you anything else about it? Tissaia, I mean".</p><p> </p><p>"She was sure that the... Vilgefortz had killed me and she didn't understand how I could be alive. I recall she mentioned a nurse and a file going public".</p><p> </p><p>"I understand..."The old lady saved that information for later, unwilling to let it go without investigating it in depth. "One way or another, you better take care of her and love her the way she deserves. I won’t accept anything else".</p><p> </p><p>"I'd give her the universe, if she asked me," Yennefer acknowledged, a little shy smile on her lips.</p><p> </p><p>"And, surely, she would tell you that it is physically impossible, then she’d prepare an entire power point with her arguments".</p><p> </p><p>"Would she really be able to do that?" Yennefer raised both eyebrows.</p><p> </p><p>"It offends me that you think she hasn't done it hundreds of times already," the smile on the older woman's lips made the brunette laugh, "she was born to be a teacher, among other things".</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer’s laughter was sincere and beautiful, Adalia thought. Yes, she definitely liked that young lady for Tissaia and, after all, Nenneke was never wrong judging suitors and she had always wanted what was better for her daughter.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Reaction (I)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I promised little Tissaia a while ago and here you have it (in the second part).</p><p>Anyway, I hope you enjoy, I loved writting the flashback and "the moment" before the slash, I wish you too like it &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>By the time Yennefer poked her head out the office’s door that Monday morning, Rita had already sat in her chair and started pulling some papers out of one of the desk drawers. The blonde raised her head and frowned as she found restless violet eyes stuck in her.</p><p> </p><p>"I know I'm beautiful, but I thought you'd get over it by now, honey," the blonde smiled and looked at her, waiting for the brunette to tell her what she wanted.</p><p> </p><p>"Triss has written to me to tell me to go to Tissaia's office for breakfast," she sighed, clearly unhooked, "she wants to celebrate that she's back to work, but the truth is, I don't understand why. It's not like she’s given birth or something… I mean, I know she’s your best friend, but isn’t it a little overdramatic?"</p><p> </p><p>Rita set her eyes blank, clearly offended by her assistant's lack of enthusiasm and starting to get up and grab her purse. She had been living for that moment for weeks and she wasn’t going to miss a single second of it. Hopefully, as soon as Yennefer saw who Tissaia really was, she'd stop behaving like an idiot and being skeptic about it, Margarita was sure of it. Thus, with a few more protests from the young woman, both set off to the building occupied by the physics teachers. Instead of going straight into the office, Rita took Yennefer to the small common room on that floor where there was a coffee machine and a vending machine with questionably healthy things. The brunette couldn't imagine Tissaia eating any of that, so she trusted her girlfriend to take lunch from home, instead of spending all day without eating. Rita began selecting cups, then, taking hers and Yennefer's from her purse, where she had kept them to bring them because <em>'no one in her right mind drinks coffee or wine in a plastic cup', </em>she said once, before starting to make the coffee.</p><p> </p><p>"But what do my eyes see? Yennefer finally decides to join us all one morning," Vanielle's smile was so broad and cheeky, at the thought of making the brunette bump into her best friend and just realize she was her girlfriend, that the young woman had to focus on coffee so as not to roll her eyes. Dude, they were too obvious and she wanted a reward for her magnificent acting.</p><p> </p><p>Coral showed up a couple of minutes later to grab two coffee cups, hers and Triss'. Rita took hers and Philippa's, while Vanielle merely took hers and asked Yennefer to bring Tissaia's because ‘<em>her</em> <em>wrist hurt</em>.' The young woman accepted, showing great concern about the pain she knew did not exist, for it could be something serious that she had to treat before it become something serious. Philippa reached them in the halfway, loaded with a bag full of fresh backed pastries that looked too many for up to seven people.</p><p>Vanielle opened the office door and entered first, followed by Rita, Coral, Philippa and finally Yennefer. The first two women approached Tissaia to leave a kiss on her temple, while Coral sat directly in front of Triss with a small, kind smile, before asking her how her weekend had been. Tissaia's assistant merely smiled and engaged in conversation with the redhead, after greeting her friend with her hand. Yennefer stopped for a moment to look around, with a not so fake surprise. Of course, Tissaia's office would be perfectly tidy and there wouldn't be a single out-of-place object, how could she even doubt it? Not to mention how ridiculously similar her cup and the teacher's were, something Rita and Vanielle would surely have had some conversation about by now. Seeing that everyone had a cup except the woman sitting at the desk in front of the door —who was reading something close to a letter, if people were still writing letters when they could just text—, Yennefer decided to get there. Tissaia wore her glasses on —Yennefer had to calp at her own acting for she was managing to not get horny just by looking at her, though she was certain she was using them to tease her— and seemed immersed in reading the document, but hearing the sound of a cup leaning on the desk, she looked up. Not even her eyes betrayed any surprise or recognition, as if in front of her there was a total stranger. With a clear face of confusion —for those accustomed to reading her microexpressions— she devoted a quick glance to Margarita and Vanielle. Their eyes meant <em>'why</em> <em>does a stranger have my coffee', </em>something very contrary to what her friends expected, which led them to frown, provoking a greater confusion on Tissaia’s face. If Yennefer’s work ignoring Tissaia’s teasing was worth of a Dandelion Award, Tissaia’s performance right now deserved the whole Kaedwood at her feet.</p><p> </p><p>"Tissaia, this is Yennefer," Rita raised her two eyebrows, looking alternately between her friend and her assistant, hoping for something that would never come, "my adjunct teacher".</p><p> </p><p>"Oh," slightly tilting her head, Tissaia extended her right hand, not bothering to even get up; it was a challenge if Nenneke had instructed her correctly, which she had, "it’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Yennefer. Rita's told me a lot about you, but I seriously doubted if you would grace us with your presence in this semester".</p><p> </p><p>"All good things, I hope, and you know the saying, good things make you wait," the brunette smiled and shook her hand, looking from the corner of her eye how the two women seemed completely frustrated with the situation. Meanwhile, neither of the two involved gave a single sign of recognition, and the corner of Tissaia’s lip twisted with the words, for she didn’t like any pickup line or saying that wasn’t said by her girlfriend. It was easily mistaking with disgust by Yennefer’s presence, so it was wonderful, "but if she talks that much about me, I will have to tell my girlfriend to be careful with her".</p><p> </p><p>"Hey, I don’t talk that much about you!" Rita complained, frustrated.</p><p> </p><p>"That’s right, she talks much more about Phil," Vanielle mocked, before drinking a sip of coffee; she was sure that the dark-haired was staring at them now, wanting to know why was she their topic of conversation now.</p><p> </p><p>"Whether one thing is good or not, it's completely relative," Tissaia shrugged her shoulders, and then looked at her girlfriend's cup with a raised eyebrow; was Yennefer teasing her back? Had she planned it? That was going to be harder than expected, "what a curious cup, are you interested in the stars?" Tissaia was really curious, for she hadn’t asked her before, not even at the observatory, while telling her about entire constellations.</p><p> </p><p>"In some of them, yes," the young woman confessed with such carefreeness that she almost felt Rita's gaze stick in her soul. Taking advantage of the discomfort induced by the silence that followed that statement, she looked at the three women for a moment and muttered, while changing her weight from one foot to the other to make it even more uncomfortable. "Uh... If you'll excuse me, I need to talk to Triss about some things… And… Well… Yep. I guess it was nice to meet you, professor".</p><p> </p><p>That said, the young woman turned her back on them and took the five steps that separated her from Triss' desk, leaving them no chance of holding her there any longer in a more than obvious weird conversation. She had taken care of dropping each of her questions with more than obvious awkwardness to provoke some tension and discomfort among the three women and now she refused to face them, remaining with her back to them —even if she knew calling Tissaia professor was a more than obvious teasing and it would come back. One way or another, Yennefer decided to get carried away by the conversation with Coral, Philippa and Triss, who would later be joined by the other three teachers.</p><p> </p><p>"Why are you acting so weird?" Vanielle protested. Tissaia took her cup to her lips and drank slowly, silently thanking Yennefer because it had been hot enough to be still too hot for anyone else. Tissaia’s eyebrows frowned over that comment.</p><p> </p><p>"What do you mean, Va? I get that the whole conversation was kind of awkward, but I am not acting weird."</p><p> </p><p>"She means that the woman sat next to Triss is Yennefer, that she means," Rita snorted, clearly altered by the development of events. That wasn't what they had planned, this wasn’t hilarious, and she’d need some wine if things were meant to get wrong from first hour on Monday.</p><p> </p><p>"I know it's Yennefer, you just introduced her to me, Ri, love," Tissaia raised an eyebrow, "you should tell Philippa to treat you more carefully, knocks on the head can be dangerous".</p><p> </p><p>The blonde looked like a potential murdered and Vanielle snorted with amusement for the comment, but she was as frustrated as her friend.</p><p> </p><p>"Seriously, I don't know what your assistant has to do with anything at all… Besides not answering concretely my question, which is quite rude," Tissaia was so relaxed and her gaze was so clear that it was impossible to figure out that she was lying, even for two of the people who knew her best. After all, she had lied to her whole family for eleven years and only physical evidence sold her out, she was a very good actress.</p><p> </p><p>Rita and Vanielle looked at each other for a moment, both finally deciding to leave the subject alone. Was it possible that they were wrong? Everything seemed to point out that Tissaia was Sky, Yennefer's girlfriend, and that Yennefer and Tissaia's girlfriend were the same person, but... Was it possible that they had been so wrong? Yes, they both had seen the picture of Yennefer on Tissaia’s phone, heard her voice on the audios and the timelines matched, but… It was impossible for both of them to just have temporal amnesia or something. And if they were wrong, exposing such sensitive information to the brunette was something stupidly irresponsible on the part of both... The blonde's head was about to explode, and that chain of thought kept her distracted for the entire hour they spent having breakfast, chatting and joking with what they had done over the weekend. The plans of Yennefer and her girlfriend were completely different from what Tissaia —and her Yennefer— had done and they did not include any kind of family meeting.</p><p>To the surprise of all those present, except Yennefer, Tissaia agreed to eat one of the croissants Philippa had brought, even though it was something sweet and it was not even eight in the morning. Yennefer had a hard time hiding the personal satisfaction of corrupting her girlfriend to that point, but she had to say that the fact that it was clear Tissaia had done it only to challenge her to keep maintaining the composure and facade they had built together throughout that morning, pretending that they knew nothing, helped her to do so. Even Triss was fulfilling her role perfectly, having joined that global prank, happy to give Tissaia's friends a little dig for not thinking of telling her anything of what was going on.</p><p>Vanielle and Rita were clearly frustrated and barely reacted when they saw it was time to leave. They looked more like close-to-self-destruction robots than like people.</p><p> </p><p>The exact same situation would be repeated throughout the week, except for the conversation between Yennefer and Tissaia, who simply greeted each other cordially and exchanged some opinion in group conversations. Neither of them had any enthusiasm for talking to each other, nor did they show a single sign of recognition. Yennefer brought coffee to Tissaia every day, as she allegedly knew nothing of the other two women's frustrated intentions about it and therefore implied that she thought it was part of her job as Rita's assistant —although the truth is, she only did so to make sure the coffee reached her girlfriend in perfect condition, which was boiling and with the proper amount of sugar. All conversations between Yennefer and Tissaia had been based on short questions and answers such as…</p><p> </p><p>Tuesday's, for example, which was limited to:</p><p> </p><p><em>"Wow, I didn't think you were going to bring me the coffee again,</em>" before looking at the blonde with clear confusion<em>.</em></p><p>
  <em>"It's my job," Yennefer replied, looking at her and shrugging.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Wednesday, on the other hand...</p><p>
  
</p><p><em>"I've never seen anyone put so little sugar in the coffee," Yennefer said, putting the cup on the table with a twisted grimace, "I don't know how you can drink it</em>"<em>.</em></p><p>"<em>If you put too much, the taste of the coffee is lost</em>"<em>.</em></p><p>"<em>Mhm, gross</em>"<em>.</em></p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>Or Thursday.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p><em>"How's your leg? Rumor has it you ran down the woods.</em>"</p><p>
  <em>"Better, thank you for worrying," an educated and tight, hard-to-appreciate smile, "rumors are not credible sources, you’d better double check your information next time".</em>
</p><p> </p><p>The truth was that, despite not being able to look at or talk to Tissaia more than was appropriate for two people who had just met and had absolutely nothing in common, or so it seemed, Yennefer had a pretty good time having breakfast with the rest of the women. In fact, she wouldn't mind doing it every day from now on. Neither Rita nor Vanielle had said another word about the fact that it seemed definitive that those two women had not met before in their lives. Had they really been so stupid to think there would be chances like that? As if that weren't enough, even Triss had made sure to meet Sky in person and nothing in it gave away that it could be Tissaia —the young woman didn't have to lie, as they didn't ask her directly if they were the same person, or anything like that; they asked how Sky was and she just described Tissaia when she was with Yennefer, which was very different from usual Tissaia— so the blonde and brunette were beginning to resign and be ashamed of their mistake. They were going crazy.</p><p>Friday, however, the initial conversation between Tissaia and Yennefer had stayed on a <em>'good morning', </em>before Yennefer focused more on Triss and the pastries Philippa brought. The topic of conversation between them had been more oriented to the pre-final exams that would begin in a couple of weeks and that would mark the end of the first semester of college before holidays and finals. None of the teachers or assistants were very interested when it came time to leave, if they wanted to get to their classes on time, too concerned about Stregobor's plans for upcoming evaluations; the rector had not even bothered to inform them to prepare, so they had ended up agreeing to maintain the models of other years until further notice. They were all standing and walking to the door when Tissaia finally broke the silence in which she had been immersed for at least five minutes, to smile lightly.</p><p> </p><p>"Sweetie?"</p><p> </p><p>Both Vanielle and Rita turned, their eyebrows raised with curiosity, to see Tissaia get up and circle her desk, while crossing her arms and leaning against the front of it. The women were waiting for Tissaia to clarify which one she was addressing, but Tissaia did not do or say anything else.</p><p> </p><p>"Mhm?" It was not until Yennefer hummed, with the slightest of the sounds, that the chestnut tilted her head.</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer turned, to the surprise of all those present —except for Triss and Tissaia—, and smiled when the teacher used her index to order her to approach. Rita and Vanielle looked at each other for a moment, even more confused than before, their brains short-circuiting over and over. Happy as a little girl who was just given a candy, Yennefer passed between Rita and Vanielle to approach her girlfriend, letting her grab her from the jumper and pull her closer so she could kiss her at once. As they had agreed, Triss would be recording everyone's faces with her phone from her desk, so nothing would really be lost while Yennefer's hands found Tissaia's hips and the kiss lengthened only a few more seconds, until an indignant snort caught up with them from the door.</p><p> </p><p>"I refused to let you go another day without saying proper goodbye," Tissaia whispered against her lips, "you’ve been pretty cheeky".</p><p> </p><p>"You, teaser, haven't held out even a week," Yennefer pouted, speaking in an audible tone for the rest, but she ended up smiling happily.</p><p> </p><p>"You've been teasing me back all that week, piglet" the chestnut protested in a whisper, rolling her eyes.</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer bit Tissaia's lower lip and pulled playfully, before putting some distance between the two of them, a big smile adorning both their faces. Then, she turned to observe the offended faces of her boss and Vanielle. Coral and Philippa looked at them in shock, for they were the ones who could have least expected something like this. Tissaia wrapped Yennefer's waist to keep her glued to her and rested her head on her shoulder as she looked at her friends; meanwhile, the brunette let her backside rest against Tissaia, trying not to melt on the embrace.</p><p> </p><p>"I can't fucking believe it," Rita seemed about to hit someone, clearly upset that they'd been pretending for a whole fucking week.</p><p> </p><p>That was probably the first time Tissaia smiled so broadly, mockingly and naturally in front of the rest of the teachers, but it was the effect Yennefer had on her, so it wasn't like she was going to try to change or hide it.</p><p> </p><p>"You're the worst... I've never met two people so horrible," Vanielle said, just as outraged as the blonde. She thought she was crazy, what was wrong with them?</p><p> </p><p>"I was beginning to think I'd gone crazy!" Rita approached again, making a fuss with her arms.</p><p> </p><p>That confession ripped off a laugh from the three women involved in the prank and drew some attention to Triss.</p><p> </p><p>"Wait, you knew that?" Vanielle seemed really upset now. If sweet little Triss had been part of that, who would they trust now?</p><p> </p><p>"Yes, but perhaps if you had told me, I wouldn't have discovered the way I did," Triss didn't dare to look at her best friend, noticing the blush spreading down her own cheeks. Since last Friday she couldn’t stop recalling how Tissaia, her mother, was straddling Yennefer, her best friend… Naked and with… Well. She needed to clean her mind, she’d better think about Sabrina stripping, yup. No. Wait.</p><p> </p><p>"Something the three of us would have appreciated, actually," Yennefer agreed, leaning carefully against her girlfriend's torso; she didn’t want to hurt her more than she was. She wouldn't deny how sexy it had been to see her leaning against the desk just a moment earlier.</p><p> </p><p>"So, you have no right to complain," Tissaia looked at them both, completely serious and without letting Yennefer's human shield function at the time detract from her eyes, "we simply returned the ball to your field".</p><p> </p><p>"I still can't believe anyone hadn’t told me anything, even if I don’t totally understand what's going on," Philippa complained, staring brazenly at Rita as she accused her, she looked really offended.</p><p> </p><p>Probably, had they had a little more time, the discussions would have lengthened and at least one couple would have ended up having problems —because Philippa was really upset with how uninformed her girlfriend had her about absolutely everything, but, since they all had to go to teach in the first period that day, for the only thing they had time was to agree that they would all go to have lunch together —needing to know absolutely everything in detail—, after what they just ran out in the direction of their respective offices, picked up their things and then walked faster than usual to the corresponding classrooms.</p><p>Well, and maybe Yennefer and Tissaia found a moment for a kiss or two to properly say goodbye, because the brunette was quite reluctant to part with her girlfriend, after a whole week without even touching her in order to keep their facades.</p><p>The initial idea had been to lengthen as much as possible, but in addition to becoming torture for the two women, it was increasingly difficult for Tissaia to look at Rita and Vanielle, being almost able to hear them think about how it was possible that they didn’t know each other. Tissaia knew that her friends had seen Yennefer's face in a photo, but it was also clear that, if they acted well, they would begin to doubt what their own eyes had seen. Thus, although they had only maintained the facade for four whole days and the breakfast hour of the fifth, they had both managed to reach their goal and get that little revenge. The only problem now would be having to explain everything to Coral and Philippa, give them all details of how Triss had found out and how they had realized who was who, with the last two stories being the same.</p><p> </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>The girl knocked so gently at the door that, if Calanthe hadn't had all her senses set on hearing even the slightest of sounds, she wouldn't have heard the soft pounding of knuckles on the wood. However, the little figure did not wait for an answer, thinking that the woman would be asleep, so, without making the slightest noise and tiptoeing, she opened the door and entered the small opening she left, hidden by the darkness of the night.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>"Cal?" The sharp little voice whispered as she approached the bed and significantly shred her eyes, in an attempt to discern the brunette's features, in the dim light coming through the window.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>"Mhm?" Although that was all the answer she offered, the girl's shoulders began to relax.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>"I've had a nightmare, can I sleep with you and Pavetta?"</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>The brunette did not answer this time, but she moved aside in bed and threw the blankets back, in an invitation to the girl to join her. Pavetta slept peacefully in her crib, which was already beginning to become too little now that she was close to her three years old, so the brunette tried to make as little noise as possible and the kid tried to imitate that silent request. Carefully, Tissaia walked to the mattress and climbed into bed, letting her sister tuck her up and then hug her with one arm, under the blankets. For the girl that was practically like putting a shield on her that even nightmares wouldn't dare try to cross, so she smiled broadly and curled up against the woman body.</em>
</p><p><em>Calanthe knew it wasn't a good idea to ask her sister about her nightmares, as often the girl was too scared to even able to remember them. She was just terrified, so Calanthe would let lightning strike her before she refused company and comfort to that little angel. She kissed Tissaia's forehead fondly and smiled as he felt one of her hands grab her shirt, with something the brunette was beginning to think was some kind of fear that she would leave or abandon her, but the girl had never expressed it aloud, so she couldn’t be sure of it. She'd talk to her sooner or later, but she wanted to give her time for Tissaia to decide to open up and tell her about it.</em> <em>Several minutes passed until the soft little voice returned again, in a small whisper. If it wasn’t because Tissaia’s breath hadn’t calm down, she’d have think she was asleep.</em></p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>"Cal?"</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>The woman did not answer, but she did open one of her eyes curiously. It was strange that Tissaia hadn't fallen asleep right away, so she couldn't help worrying a little because something serious had happened and it was taking away her sleep.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>"I think I'm a lesbian," she said so low, the brunette began to doubt if she hadn't imagined it.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>"I thought you were sleeping," she replied, instead, wishing she had really said it and happy that she could have voiced it, if that was the case. Yes, Tissaia was only nine years old, but the fact that she was only interested in women was something that Calanthe, Adalia and Nenneke had begun to suspect for about a year, when Tissaia asked them why there weren't so many films with women kissing each other, as with straight couples, because 'how disgusting it is to kiss a man’ and ‘I wish I could be kissing Cate Blanchett instead of that ugly man'.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>"Do you think mom's going to be mad at me if I tell her?" She whispered again, after at least another minute.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>"As long as you have better taste than me choosing a partner, I don't think so, kiddo," Calanthe joked, calmer to feel a very small smile forming against her chest, "but I promise not to tell her anything until you do".</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>"Shall I prepare a Power Point in order to explain myself?" The girl looked more cheered up, despite her voice sounding lower with every word, for she was also beginning to get carried away by sleep again.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>"I think it will be enough for you to say it to her like you have just told me," Calanthe kissed her forehead again, "good night and sweet dreams, little skylark. Rest peacefully".</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Boiling point</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>One week more and I'll be done with exams and fully back, I promise!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>That week was plagued by seminars, lectures and talks at Thanedd University. The week before, Yennefer and Tissaia had only been able to see each other at breakfast time, but they had been pretending not to know each other, so it didn't really count exactly as spending time together; even when the previous Friday, at lunch they had agreed and decided that it would be best to sit as far away from each other as possible, in case there was anyone still following Tissaia.</p><p>Vilgefortz had been acting normally, according to the chestnut, and had not put his hand back on her. Tissaia had heeded Triss' advice and pretended that her wounds were much worse than they looked, when he was around, which kept him much calmer and at bay than any had expected; at least, if the bad words and disrespectful comments were not counted. Calanthe went much often than usual to her sister's house and completely ignored Vilgefortz's presence, if she met him, but the man made no comment on it. Even he knew that if Tissaia had had to ask someone —and not anyone but her sister, and not one of the <em>useless</em> friends she had— for help, her situation was much more delicate than he might have thought nor intended, so he had better pretend it was whatever excuse Tissaia had made up this time.</p><p>Both had gone a week and a half without really speaking, from <em>that </em>day on, and the truth was that she lived better like this —since he didn't expend all his time on insulting or belittling her, something she appreciated—, but at the same time it made her worry about the moment her husband would burst and discharge all his anger against her once again. She knew it would happen; she didn't know when, but it would. It was probably always a much more tempting option to listen to Triss and exaggerate her wounds, especially those of the chest and ribs, with the intention of deterring him.</p><p>Yennefer, on the other hand, had listened to Rita when the blonde told her that it would be best if she didn't leave her office unless it was in order to go to class or to attend some urgency, because —now that Vilgefortz would spend the whole week in Thanedd, through conference days— that would prevent her from meeting him and decide to kill him in a public place. Tissaia had ended up telling only her and Vanielle that the brunette was aware of what had happened two weeks ago, so they had both thought it necessary to make a little intervention and warn Yennefer that no, it was not a good idea to put a lamppost into Vilgefortz and pass it up his ass; no, she couldn't drop a scalpel on his head, from a lot of height, to see if he was nailed; no, they wouldn’t mention running him over with the car. In fact, both women were fascinated and at the same time terrified of the graphic imagination that the brunette had to create scenarios about how to kill Vilgefortz. Still, Rita and Vanielle were sure that the only reason she hadn't tried anything at all was because she was waiting for Calanthe to do it... They were all waiting for Calanthe's next move. They all trusted and respected the woman, and they knew that if someone was doing something, it will be her… Though none of them seemed to remember the two older women that were, in fact, starting to pull from some threads.</p><p> </p><p>Given the complicated schedules of all the teachers during that week, the routine of breakfast with the physics was truncated for everyone, as barely two of them could met in the few free seconds they could have. So, Yennefer decided that on Wednesday it would be best to make coffee for her and Rita just in case, before they were too late for the talk about <em>'how to teach medicine '</em>that Rita should give. The brunette had not been surprised to discover that Stregobor and Vilgefortz were such close friends that they continually put them on her, Vanielle and, of course, Tissaia. The difference between Tissaia and her friends was quite simple: while Rita and Vanielle were constantly tried to be humiliated and mocked of, forcing them to do stupid things —which they transformed into, surely, the best activities and those that all the students adored— Tissaia was given such a workload that it was humanly impossible to live with half the pressure that the chestnut was enduring. Tissaia had been tasked with coordinating all schedules to ensure that they did not overlap and that classes were no longer strictly interrupted, while she had to give a daily conference, in addition to the subjects she already taught, while preparing exams and correcting her students' and Vilgefortz’s papers.</p><p>Triss had repeated it over and over again the previous years, but it wasn't until Yennefer had seen it firsthand that she understood. <em>'It's not Tissaia's fault we have to work so hard. I help her because I want to, she always tells me to go home first. If you knew her a little better, you'd understand.'</em> Yes, Triss was right, and none of them should have judged Tissaia without really knowing her or without seeing what was really happening on the university. Apparently, after the previous rectoress quitted six years ago —she had already given her teaching position to her assistant, Tissaia herself—, she said she’d like Tissaia to assume her job as rectoress as well, but in the moment she resigned, Stregobor ruined all her plans and took control of the university, ruining all the educational structure with that. By doing so, he and The Chapter —the leading organism of The Brotherhood of Doctors— made sure to gain all the power in Thanedd, the only place except for Nilfgaard, where they had no saying —not with Klara Larissa de Winter standing in the middle—, so they now controlled everything related to science. Apparently Vilgefortz took Klara Larissa’s seat on the Chapter —of which Tissaia was part of, even if under her husband’s hand she could do anything at all—, so it was obvious that with it, Stregobor had two free votes for his disposal.</p><p>The more Yennefer discovered about the university internal functioning and her girlfriend when it came to her professional life, the more enraged and prouder she was of how she had managed to handle all situations and humiliate those idiots, exceeding their higher expectations. Rita had told her that she, Vanielle and Coral used to do overtime to help her and Triss at the end of the semester, but that those days had taken them all by surprise and now they were all behind in their own tasks, so Yennefer herself stayed up late correcting papers and exams on her own. Margarita trusted her judgment and, although she had initially said she would manage on her own, it was obvious that she would not have time for that and to help Tissaia. So, if Yennefer's only way to help her girlfriend was to help the blonde, she would. Philippa, meanwhile, did the same, dedicating her free time to helping Vanielle and Coral, so that they and Rita could help Tissaia in less time, and Rita would be available to her earlier, which also implied that Tissaia herself would also be free for Yennefer.</p><p>Yennefer was completely exhausted and dying of sleep, after a weekend and a half week to the top of work. If there was anything she didn't feel like at the time, it was to meet Istredd, Stregobor's imbecile assistant, a young man with a tendency to put his hands where he shouldn't and ignore all the times Yennefer rejected him— and Fringilla —a plug-in who merely acted as Vilgefortz's secretary and traveled with him, whenever she could—, but Yennefer was aware that she would probably meet them both at that time in the common room of the bio teachers, for the coffee machine did wonders —and obviously neither the two of them nor their bosses had any work to do that week. Trying to avoid the encounter, Yennefer put the boiling water in, so that the coffee would be made faster and, as soon as the two cups were full, she caught them and turned quickly to the door.</p><p>However, what the brunette had not foreseen was that there would be a person dangerously close to her at the time. When she collided with the sturdy body, now in front of her, her holding on the cups loosened and, in an instinct not to pour the boiling coffee on top of herself, she bent them outwards, causing the liquid to fall on the person she had crashed with. The pained cry that the man let out due to the intense heat of the liquid and the superficial injuries it began to cause him, made Yennefer react and rush to put the cups aside, to look for a rag or something to give him. The young woman was aware that a cloth would do absolutely nothing to help with the burn that should be forming on his chest and crotch, on which she had emptied almost the two whole cups, but realizing that this man was, in fact, Vilgefortz, Yennefer rethought whether to serve another cup of coffee and throw it over his head. Aware of the horrible idea that would entail and almost picturing the disapproving look on her boss and her friends faces, she was quick to offer him the cloth and regain the repentance she had felt at first.</p><p> </p><p>"Fucking useless woman!" The man shouted, pulling the cloth out of her hands, "no wonder you are not allowed to practice when you can even make a coffee".</p><p> </p><p>"I-I'm so sorry, really. It was an accident," Yennefer was shaken by his voice, though only by the anger she felt, increasingly. "Oh, shit! Professor Vilgefortz it’s you! I'm really sorry!"</p><p> </p><p>"What you should be is fucking fired! I don’t know why women are allowed to work when they are shitty incompetents," he barked under his breath, but louder enough for Yennefer to hear it.</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer's hands were also shaking, and she dared not look him in the face, aware that repentance was going to be the last thing in her eyes. Just then, two more people entered the room; one of them was Rita, who stopped at the door, contemplating the scene in silence; the other was the black-haired woman in the picture Vilgefortz had on his office table and which was definitely not Tissaia. That man was an asshole for having anyone else in a picture, though; she’d paint her walls with Tissaia’s face if it weren’t kind of creepy. The woman rushed to Vilgefortz to help him, clearly concerned about the accelerated way the man breathed and the red color of his face.</p><p> </p><p>"Oh, for the gods’ sake, what happened? "</p><p> </p><p>"I-I'm sorry... The coffee... He was behind me and I didn't see him," Yennefer started to move her hands while trying to explain herself, clearly nervous. She didn't like that woman's eyes, now that she saw her in person, but maybe it was just the fact that she cared about Vilgefortz. Anyway, the apology on her voice was only directed to Rita —even if the couple could not see that—, and the nerves were provoked by the possibility of the idiot discovering she was his wife lover.</p><p> </p><p>"It’s alright," she said with a little smile, approaching her to place a hand on the young woman's shoulder, "I'll make sure you haven't burned him, but I’m sure nothing serious, don’t worry, we all have accidents," she added calmly.</p><p> </p><p>Despite the stranger's attempt at kindness, it was clear that she was kicking her out. A woman she'd never seen before was kicking her out of the common room of the place where she worked, what would be next? Stregobor banning her from Thanedd Island? With a trembling sigh, Yennefer nodded and hurried to walk towards Rita, thanking the blonde for her expression being close to the one a mother would put on before scolding her daughter.</p><p>Neither said anything until they found themselves inside Rita's office, the door closed behind them with a soft click. Rita managed to get to her desk before the laughter began to echo throughout the room and probably throughout the entire building; they all knew she hated Vilgefortz, so nobody expected her to behave like a grown up. The woman reached her chair and dropped on it, with no intention of stopping her fit of laughter, and even letting some tears roll down her cheeks.</p><p> </p><p>"And here I thought you were going to scold me," Yennefer couldn't help but laugh after saying that.</p><p> </p><p>"Oh no, dear, you have Tissaia for the scolding part, I’ll just open a bottle of wine".</p><p> </p><p>"It’s 10 a.m., Rita, we can’t drink wine at this time! Not while working!" Yennefer kept laughing until she realized something, and her face reflected some concern, "are you going to tell Tissaia?"</p><p> </p><p>"Honey, the whole university is going to find out you burned Vilgefortz's cock with boiling coffee," after saying it out loud, they both thought it was even funnier and laughed again for several minutes. "It's not personal, but it would be weird if I didn't spread the word, I'm the gossipiest woman in this university, and both Vilgefortz and Sheala have seen me. If before half an hour it's not trending topic on Twitter, they'll know something weird has happened. What do you think of #BoiledVilgefcock?"</p><p> </p><p>"Sheala?" Yennefer sat in her chair and looked at the blonde curiously, ignoring the hashtag she had suggested, "you mean the woman from before? His lover?"</p><p> </p><p>"Lover? Wha-- Fucking bastard," Rita raised both eyebrows, prey of her own anger, while she started to type on her phone. "Sheala's been the head nurse at Thanedd Hospital for years... How don't you know her? You worked there for what? Three years? Besides, she was one of the youngest people to get that job".</p><p> </p><p>"I guess I never met her... It wasn't as if the doctor in charge of me left me time to blink, she was kind of strict..." The young woman sighed heavily at the memory of that beautiful and ruthless woman who guided her in her little time of residence in the hospital, "Vilgefortz had a picture with Sheala on the portrait holder of his desk, I saw it when we sneaked in," Yennefer laid down on the chair and sighed, "at the time I thought it was Tissaia, but now that I know she's not..." She shrugged, "I don’t like her eyes, they’re..."</p><p> </p><p>"Cold, calculating and indifferent," Rita agreed, "that woman only does what suits her and when it suits her, for her it doesn’t matter what she does but herself and what she can achieve with it. Not even Philippa gets to the extremes she's willing to and I know how bitchy my girlfriend can be. I worked with Sheala for several years and, actually, sometimes I was kind of scared of her".</p><p> </p><p>"She seems like the kind of person it’s best to stay away from," Yennefer muttered, "I guess they're made for each other."</p><p> </p><p>"That will be if you haven't left him unable to fuck," Rita murmured, though she couldn’t stay serious.</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer looked at the time, thoughtful, and, before the blonde could do anything, she called Tissaia on the phone. Technically she should have finished her last speech before her class five minutes ago, so hopefully she'd answer in a matter of seconds. And so she did.</p><p> </p><p>"I don't want it to look like I'm complaining about you calling me, because you know I love your voice, but has something happened?"</p><p> </p><p>"I love your voice too, and I also love you so much," Yennefer smiled broadly, "but... Well, yes, there's something I need to tell you".</p><p> </p><p>"Alright, I’m all yours, tell me what it is, "a moment of silence followed those words. "I'm on my way to class, so I only have a few minutes, but you know they're all yours".</p><p> </p><p>"Hm... Just remember that I love you, okay?" Yennefer said, because now that she thought about it, it was something she wanted to tell her anyway; although Rita's laughter reminded her that that's not why she called.</p><p> </p><p>"I love you too, sweetie," Tissaia smiled softly now, even if happiness could only be heard in her voice and not on seen right now.</p><p> </p><p>"Gimme that," Rita had risen to get close to Yennefer, but the young woman just put the speaker on. The blonde laughed again, "good morning, Moon of my life".</p><p> </p><p>"Good morning, my Sun and Stars…" Tissaia frowned, "okay, Rita laughing, you telling me you love me... What have you two done now?"</p><p> </p><p>"It was an accident, I swear," Yennefer hurried to say, before the blonde dropped all the information at once.</p><p> </p><p>"Hashtag BoiledVilgefcock on Twitter, check it later. Your girlfriend just threw two cups of boiling coffee at the bag of shit you’re married to," laughter prevented her from continuing to speak, but on the other side of the line there was a horrible tense silence that lasted a whole minute until the youngest woman broke it, anxious.</p><p> </p><p>"Tissaia, I promise you it was an accident... I had gone to get coffee for Rita and me, he was behind me and I didn't see him. It was to throw it at him or to let it fall on me, and we know I’m too sexy to be burnt alive… Actually, if I’m honest, it's not like I regret much what happened," the brunette was clearly nervous, "I just don’t want you to be mad at me".</p><p> </p><p>Both Rita and Yennefer could see in their minds how Tissaia sat at the empty table in the classroom and took at least one of her hands to her face to sigh deeply. What neither of them expected was the cackle and laughter that followed it. The blonde looked at the brunette, the surprise having completely replaced laughter and leaving room only for very widened emerald green eyes. Yennefer smiled, but she ended up laughing this time, as if she had been waiting for Tissaia to give her permission, somehow, to do so. Rita, however, was sure that a part of her friend had only let them hear that laugh to assure Yennefer that everything was fine and that what happened was not a big deal.</p><p> </p><p>"Ri, you’d better be more creative with the hashtag next time, and be careful, please," Tissaia sounded more amused that neither of them expected.</p><p> </p><p>"I will, ma’am. You can trust me on that," the blonde smiled, "oh, we've also discovered that Sheala is his lover," Rita added, after a few seconds.</p><p> </p><p>"One of them," Tissaia corrected her, causing the two women to frown, "but the truth is, I don't know which one of them I feel most sorry for, not that I care that much," the chestnut joked.</p><p> </p><p>"If it helps, I feel sorry for anyone other than me," Yennefer offered, with a proud smile, "because anyone other than me will never be able to comprehend the honor and privilege of having your attention. Well, maybe Rita, but she can’t date you anymore, so she doesn’t count either".</p><p> </p><p>"Hey! I could date her if I wanted to!"</p><p> </p><p>"Suuuuure, as if Phil would let you get out of the bed to do so".</p><p> </p><p>"I can do it and I will if you keep being that cocky!"</p><p> </p><p>"Should I call her and tell her to tie you up harder?"</p><p> </p><p>"You two are incorrigible," Tissaia complained, though it was clear that she was smiling again.</p><p> </p><p>"And what are you going to do to try to correct me?" Yennefer smirked, ignoring Rita’s middle finger up in her direction.</p><p> </p><p>"Nothing you're willing to let Rita listen to," said the woman, much more confidently than Yennefer had heard before, prompting her cheeks to turn red.</p><p> </p><p>"Uh... I'm sorry Rita, it's a private conversation..." Yennefer removed the speaker, without even looking at the blonde, feeling like a teenager getting into trouble, and she took the phone to her ear again.</p><p> </p><p>By the way Yennefer's breathing was practically interrupted and the color of her cheeks intensified noticeably, the blonde deduced that it was being Tissaia's way of taking revenge for what had happened to Vilgefortz, while in a way rewarding Yennefer. Having been dating her for a few years, Rita was more than aware of how easy it could be for that woman to turn anyone on in a matter of seconds and wreak havoc on them for what was left of the day, without even flinting. Part of the blonde sympathized with Yennefer —who would have to spend a fairly lonely week after that call, as well as confronting a Rita with quite rough ideas of the conversation and who would not hesitate to ask her for every detail over and over again—, other liked the idea of getting her own revenge after that little conversation about her own bedding activities, and the other was glad that Tissaia had not lost all her antics after so long suffering in silence.</p><p> </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>Yennefer had been in a bad mood since Jaskier had made a stupid joke about Tissaia that afternoon. Clearly, the young man did not yet know about her relationship with Yennefer and the brunette was becoming less and less sure of wanting to talk to him about it. She was fond of Jaskier, yes, but she didn't trust him to keep his mouth shut.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>"Brina, where's Triss? I miss the only ray of sunshine that illuminates my days," Jaskier was settling on the couch, as Geralt had been working practically 24 hours a day for a few weeks.</em>
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</p><p>
  <em>"She's working," the blonde murmured, trying to keep her focus on the controller and screen, " she said she was coming later for dinner".</em>
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</p><p>
  <em>"Why is everyone always working?"</em>
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</p><p>
  <em>"Because this week there have been a lot of seminars in college and next week the exams begin," Yennefer snorted, failing a combo to answer him. Rita had sent her home to rest, but until a few minutes ago she had been reviewing some test questions, unable not to help, even if it was a little longer.</em>
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</p><p>
  <em>"Hm... I'm sure the witch ate her or something," the chestnut man pouted and looked at the screen to assess the state of the game, "that woman must be very bitter and have very little life to always be working and kidnapping our lovely Triss. How good a good fuck would make her from time to time... "</em>
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  <em>Sabrina side-glanced Yennefer and got ready to hold her if she tried to murder Jaskier. Perhaps, if he had spent a moment looking at her friends, he would have been able to perceive Sabrina’s concerned gaze, before extending a hand to hold Yennefer by the arm. The brunette had not had time to finish getting up, being held back by her best friend before she could complete the action and then being dragged back to the couch. Yennefer held the command tight enough for her knuckles to turn white and her hands began to tremble. Sabrina was sure that Jaskier had just been very close to death and had not even found out, but luckily, her grip was enough to prevent her best friend from getting up and beating him —not with a cushion or amicably, if not with all her strength— so it would be best to intervene.</em>
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</p><p>
  <em>"Weren't you going to meet Ciri to go shopping and take advantage of she leaving earlier from high school?"</em>
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</p><p>
  <em>Yennefer did not answer, but she left the command to the side of the sofa and took a deep breath.</em>
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  <em>"It's best if you're not late," the blonde whispered, then smiled slightly. She and Tissaia had spoken a few times that week and had a surprise prepared for the brunette, "and I want you here by dinnertime, I have to tell you all something important".</em>
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</p><p><em>"Have you asked Triss to marry you?</em>"<em> Jaskier jumped off the couch, excited at his own idea.</em></p><p>
  
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  <em>Yennefer didn't stay to hear the end of the conversation, preferring to walk away from her friend before using his head to open a new hole in the wall.</em>
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</p><p> </p><p>As if that episode wasn’t enough, Ciri was almost an hour late, she didn't answer to her texts, and every time she called her, she would talk to the answering machine on her mobile. It was starting to get dark and the brunette was more than sure Calanthe would be upset if Ciri wasn't back before dinner. Tired of waiting, Yennefer decided to head to the high school where the teenager was studying and check if she was still there. The brunette was not the kind of person who got worried easily, but considering that Ciri always responded to her messages and calls instantly, that she was not used to being late —that probably pulled out from Tissaia and not from Calanthe— and that she always warned if something happened... Well, Yennefer couldn't silence the voice of her mind that told her that with Vilgefortz still in town, nothing was what seemed.</p><p>Dodging some teenagers who were still around high school—practically a ghost place in those hours of a Friday afternoon— the brunette approached a bald man, with an incipient amber beard and very muscular body, who had a kind of snake tattooed around his right biceps. The man in question was behind a counter and was wearing something vaguely similar to the uniform of a janitor who had his sleeves ripped off at some point.</p><p> </p><p>"Good afternoon," Yennefer smiled kindly, even with how impressive that man was, few things could scare her at that time. The man growled in response, but did not look at her, so Yennefer continued to speak, "I would like to know if Cirilla de Vries is still around".</p><p> </p><p>The man looked up to fix his eyes on the brunette with clear displeasure.</p><p> </p><p>"Do I look like a nanny? I don't know what kids come in or out of here, I just open and close the doors when they ask".</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer twisted the gesture with some annoyance, ready to send him to hell, until she saw a very subtle movement in the man's eyes. Spending so much time with Tissaia had caused the young woman to get used to analyzing every last detail in the expressions on the face of the person she was talking to. Yennefer nodded only once and turned around to go out and look in the direction in which the man's gaze had veered. It was one of the side doors of the institute and on the other side of it there were at least two shadows that the lack of light did not allow to identify. With a sigh, Yennefer decided to use that door to exit, rather than the front door she had entered; the janitor did not stop her, but even without seeing him, she was aware of the tension that his muscles now had. Whatever the man was trying to hide, it was clear that his gaze had been totally accidental, and that Yennefer was going in the right direction.</p><p>When she opened the door to the street —dark, by the hour it was and the presence of only one lamppost at each corner, and empty—Yennefer only had time to see one male figure, thin, strong and tall, pull another that kept stirring, but was tied by her hands and feet, so she didn't have a chance to run away. Yennefer's body moved much faster than even herself had expected, while her mind continued to process what was going on in front of her.</p><p>Violet eyes became accustomed to the scarcity of light and, although she could not identify the man, Yennefer was clear that the girl he was pulling was Ciri, who was now trying to scream, despite the gag, and kept crying. Within seconds, Yennefer had reached the van and both people, her hand closed in a fist that soon struck the man's jaw. Ciri fell to the ground when the hands holding her released her —her captor surprised and confused by the blow he had received— and she did her best to crawl a little further away from her literature teacher.</p><p>The man, who was still a little dazed and had staggered back, until his back ended up attached to the wall of the black van and next to the open door, was aware that he should first reduce that aggressive woman who had appeared out of nowhere. His plans didn't include killing anyone, but he didn't have time to waste it getting rid of Yennefer more discreetly. He had to get Ciri out of there before anyone else decided to go down that street, so he grabbed a cylindrical metal bar inside the vehicle and turned in the direction of Yennefer. The brown-haired man quickly closed the distance separating him from the female and raised both arms above his head to try to hit her with the bar on his head. The woman had frozen, just as a deer in front of a car’s lights on a road in the middle of nowhere would.</p><p>Had it not been by the hand that appeared from the gloom and held Cahir's arms, the bar would surely have ended up sinking into Yennefer's skull, for the woman had not even been able to raise her arms to stop the blow against her. The mysterious hand was gloved and joined an arm covered by a black leather jacket, trousers, shoes and T-shirt of the same color and a distinctive white hair collected in a ponytail at the back of the neck. What was Geralt doing there?</p><p>The white-headed man growled before using his free hand to hit Cahir's stomach so hard that the man folded in half and fell to his knees on the ground, groaning for the pain. His arms had lost grip on the bar, which fell to the ground swaying and rolled to fall from the sidewalk. Yennefer did not even turn a second look to the two men, before running towards Ciri and kneeling beside her.</p><p> </p><p>"Ciri? Ciri, it's me," the brunette whispered, trying to use a soft tone of voice, while removing the locks of blond hair to find the teen's face. When Yennefer managed to remove the child's gag, she hugged her tightly, letting her cry as much as she needed. Yennefer herself was shocked and confused, so she could only just hold the kid and try to regain the control over her own mind.</p><p> </p><p>Neither of them paid attention to the sound of the blows or the whining of the man behind them, but when Geralt approached them, they both tightened up and Yennefer stood between the white-haired man and Ciri, ready to protect the girl against anytging. With a growl, Geralt merely pulled a knife out of his pocket and offered it to Yennefer, who looked at him with the confusion painted on her face.</p><p> </p><p>"The flanges," explained Geralt, the knife still outstretched towards the woman.</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer blinked a couple of times before accepting the object, and used it to cut the plastic strips that held Ciri's wrists and legs, which they both had forgotten up to that point. The door through which the woman had left a few minutes ago opened to give rise to a new figure holstered in black and gloved hands. Brown hair, short compared to Geralt's, but long when compared to the one his regular companion had, almond eyes and the remnants of an ancient scar that Yennefer had overlooked the other times she had seen him.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm glad to see you're still in one piece, princess," the young man approached where Yennefer, Geralt, and Ciri were, taking off his gloves before offering the brunette her hand.</p><p> </p><p>"Eskel? What...? Shouldn't you be with Nenneke?" Yennefer gave Geralt the knife back, "and what the fuck are you doing here?"</p><p> </p><p>Geralt frowned and looked at her confused friend. At least he wasn't the only one with questions.</p><p> </p><p>"Remus, Vesemir, and Elgar are in charge of the Duchess, they are the best, despite their age," individually, all him, Geralt and Lambert were better, although the whitehead was not very adept at teamwork. "We weren't supposed to let you know we were watching you, but it was inevitable if someone tried anything".</p><p> </p><p>"Lambert...?" Still confused, Yennefer ended up accepting Eskel's hand and letting him lift her up.</p><p> </p><p>"He takes care of Tissaia," Eskel gave the brunette a quick hug, and then he helped Ciri stand up as well. "Are you all right, kid?"</p><p> </p><p>Ciri nodded only once, before hugging Yennefer. Eskel and Geralt were much more reliable as flesh walls, yes, but after that day, she was afraid to trust any man, despite of how long she had known them. Cahir had been her literature teacher for two years and had always been kind and willing to listen to her, how could she know that the same would not happen with Eskel or Geralt?</p><p> </p><p>"Well, then I'll do the presentations quickly," Eskel shook her head towards Geralt, "he's Geralt," he's in charge of taking care of Ciri," Geralt growled, avoiding looking at Yennefer and the teenage girl, who just pressed herself more against the woman, "and I have to keep an eye on you, princess".</p><p> </p><p>"And why shouldn't we know about you?"</p><p> </p><p>"Her highness didn't want Tissaia to get upset," the man clarified.</p><p> </p><p>"And what do you have to do with all of this, anyway?" To everyone's surprise, Geralt sounded a little bothered.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm sure she can tell you later... We have two guys to take care of, the bald dude inside works for Nilfgaard, he had a snake on his arm, so I wouldn't want to lose sight of him for long," he muttered, and then shook his head and smiled at the women, "you should go home, if anyone follows you it will probably be Leo. He's still in training, but he's fast and he'll let the rest of us know if anything happens on the way home. We’ll tell Calanthe so she goes pick Ciri up, but you should call her as soon as you get there".</p><p> </p><p>Both Yennefer and Ciri nodded once, but it was the brunette who started to walk first, heading for her own home. Once there she would call Calanthe, as she had been told, but she wouldn’t stop for a single second until she was sure Ciri was safe.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. Taste</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry for being this late, I was exhausted after the pressure of finals, but here you have it &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tissaia took a deep breath one last time before pressing the doorbell of Yennefer's apartment. She knew that her girlfriend would not be there, because due to the conversations with her and Sabrina, she had learned that afternoon she would go to buy some things with Ciri at the mall. It was the perfect opportunity for the blonde and the chestnut to organize the dinner that had been postponed so long thanks to Vilgefortz and the excessive amount of work they had had to handle all over the last few weeks. Triss was still parking and she had told her to go up first, but unlike the younger woman, she didn't have keys to enter the flat.</p><p>The teacher wore a simple dark-blue jacket suit and trousers with a white shirt underneath and blue heels. Her bun remained intact at the base of her neck, despite the stressful and long day she and Triss had, thanks to their less favorite people. Every day that passed, Tissaia lamented more and more that what Yennefer had thrown at Vilgefortz had been boiling coffee and not some kind of acid; eve if in a way it comforted her to think that both her girlfriend and Rita had been able to see that idiot suffer, even if it was a little —something that seemed to have appeased them minimally, if she was honest—, because thanks to him, she hadn’t had time to write any letter in order to reply to the one she had received the week before.</p><p>When the bell stopped ringing, the noise of steps towards the door surprised Tissaia, as it looked like someone running to receive her and, without Yennefer and Triss there, the possibility seemed extremely remote to her, unless Sabrina had started drinking already. But that confusion didn't stop the door from opening and it was a very short second what prevented the young man with brown hair from pouncing on her to surround her with both arms. Jaskier let emotions reflect on his face so clearly that, had he not been a former student of hers, Tissaia would have even felt hurt. First surprise, followed by a deep disappointment, then replaced by confusion and a frown. Tissaia spent a couple of seconds checking that the door she had knocked on was correct, but both the Darth Vader fighting Obi-Wan's carpet and the letter on the door were unmistakable.</p><p> </p><p>"Professor De Vries?" Jaskier's voice sounded sharper and louder than he would have liked, but part of him feared that he had invoked the witch in some way.</p><p> </p><p>"Julian?" Tissaia was as confused as the young man, but she kept a neutral expression.</p><p> </p><p>"Oh! You're here!" Sabrina shouted from the other end of the aisle, then she walked to them, pushed Jaskier to one side and approached the woman, hugging her instantly.</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia took a moment to relax in the hug and surround Sabrina's waist, corresponding to the gesture.</p><p> </p><p>"You haven't eaten my girlfriend alive just yet, have you?" The blonde leaned back with a mocking smile and Tissaia rolled her eyes, watching through the corner of her eye as Jaskier turned as pale as the wall behind him, "come in".</p><p> </p><p>"Too sweet for me, what can I say?"</p><p> </p><p>"I’ve read your idiot’s texts, you can’t tell me you don’t have diabetes already," replied the blonde with a smirk.</p><p> </p><p>"She's parking, you have nothing to worry about, for now," the curvature of her lips was so slight that only Sabrina could perceive it.</p><p> </p><p>"Brina?" Jaskier seemed really worried when the chestnut followed her friend inside and the door closed behind them. Clearly, if anyone wanted to surprise someone else, informing the man about it was the last thing anyone would do.</p><p> </p><p>"Oh, right," the blonde smirked mischievously, "we call the talking piece of furniture Jaskier".</p><p> </p><p>"It's my artistic name, bitch!" The young man crossed his arms but decided to follow them both to the kitchen.</p><p> </p><p>"But you don't have any kind of artistic talent, bitch," the blonde laughed, stopping in front of a closet from which she pulled four glasses.</p><p> </p><p>"Some would say gossip is quite a talent," Tissaia offered; even if she did not know that Jaskier and Julian were, in fact, the same person until now. Yennefer had told her absolutely everything about her flatmate's personality and behavior.</p><p> </p><p>"See? Artistic name!" Jaskier took one of the glasses as soon as it was full of wine, gesticulating dramatically. He only stopped when he remembered that the woman who had agreed with him was his terrifying old teacher, "by the way, professor, you can call me whatever you want".</p><p> </p><p>"Sure, although I'll try to call you Jaskier if you start to call me Tissaia," she tried to increase her smile a little more so the young man could see it; it was harder than it seemed. It was clear that he preferred to be called by his artistic name, so the chestnut would do everything she could to fulfill that unconscious request.</p><p> </p><p>"Alright, pr--Tissaia," Jaskier sighed and took a long sip from his glass.</p><p> </p><p>Since Jaskier still thought Sabrina had asked Triss to marry her, he realized that the only reason Tissaia was there was because that night they would have some kind of engagement dinner or something. After all, Triss had a strange affection for the teacher and Sabrina seemed to suddenly share it. The best thing, no doubt, would be to leave all the questions for when Yennefer and Geralt came back, as this was the only way he could mess with everyone brazenly, for he would have someone to protect him.</p><p>The hour that the four of them expended, since Triss joined them, was used to prepare dinner and, to Jaskier's surprise, Tissaia seemed to handle quite well the balance of flavors, because the sauce she prepared for the roast was simply perfect. Yes, no doubt food and drink were the best trick anyone had to conquer the young man —or to make him stop being afraid of them, at least— so, when trying the sauce, all he could say was an:</p><p> </p><p>"It's so good that I'd marry you right now, professor," followed by a pleasurable growl and by a lot of Sabrina and Triss laughs, as well as a flattered smile from Tissaia herself.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm afraid I must reject the offer," the woman muttered with some mockery, then tapped him in the hand and made him pull away from the pan. The other two women laughed again. No one heard the sound of the door closing.</p><p> </p><p>"Now my heart is shattered and my stomach is empty, I can't believe you turned me down," taking a hand to the chest with great dramatics, the young man shook his head.</p><p> </p><p>"Who turned you down?" Yennefer's head peeked out the threshold of the kitchen door, clearly interested, looking the opposite way to where Tissaia and Sabrina were, but smiling at Triss and Jaskier, who had now turned away from the kitchen.</p><p> </p><p>"That woman with awful taste!" Jaskier pointed in the direction of Tissaia, who had leaned on the countertop to look at the brunette, with all the brazening in the world and a raised eyebrow. "Do something about it! She has to pay for her crime!  Today will be the day teachers get punished!"</p><p> </p><p>When Yennefer's eyes followed Jaskier's hand until they stopped at Tissaia, her jaw almost dropped, her face lit up and everything around her seemed to stop for the five seconds it took her to process her girlfriend's presence there. For a moment, everything that had happened during the last two hours disappeared from her mind, being replaced by a pleasant sense of calm. Yennefer smiled, though this gesture soon transformed into a somewhat naughty half-smile.</p><p> </p><p>"It will be my pleasure," the brunette slowly approached Tissaia and tilted her head, "don't you think it's terrible to have rejected that poor idiot, professor De Vries?" Yennefer purred the last words and she found it quite difficult to hide her expression of satisfaction by seeing Tissaia's reaction —red cheeks and dilated pupils— to that statement.</p><p> </p><p>"Hey! I'm not a poor idiot!" Jaskier crossed his arms, incensed, but he frowned upon Yennefer’s proximity to Tissaia and how she took the glass of wine from Tissaia's hand and sipped from it, with total confidence.</p><p> </p><p>"The truth is no, I'm pretty sure of my decision," Tissaia let her eyes stop at the brunette's lips as she drank and then smiled, "I'm happy with my current partner and I must say my taste is exquisite".</p><p> </p><p>Right, Jaskier thought, wasn't she married to a hot doctor or something?</p><p> </p><p>"Hmm," Yennefer again sketched her rogue half-smile and came a little closer to Tissaia to whisper in her ear, "and here I thought I would have to punish you as Jask has suggested... You can’t go around misbehaving and being naughty, professor".</p><p> </p><p>To everyone's surprise —and they should thank they hadn’t heard Yennefer’s whisper—, Tissaia let out a gentle laugh at whatever Yennefer had said in her ear. A Yennefer who, in the opinion of the only man present, was too close to the teacher to be considered safe.</p><p> </p><p>"My only crime was falling in love with you," Tissaia whispered back, taking advantage of the closeness to grab Yennefer from the waistband and stick her body completely against hers, "don't you have anything better?"</p><p> </p><p>"A couple of things... But I prefer when you punish me, though," she added before finding the lips of the woman, forcing her to keep to herself any kind of answer she would have thought.</p><p> </p><p>Fortunately, the only one paying full attention to them was Jaskier and they were whispering too low for him to be able to find out anything they were saying.</p><p>Jaskier's cry of surprise, however, instantly attracted the attention of the four women, causing Yennefer and Tissaia to separate their lips. Yennefer surrounded her girlfriend's waist and hid her head in the hollow of her neck, closing her eyes and breathing deep a few times, getting lost in the smell of her perfume and letting the scent take her anywhere else. All she wanted was to stay hugged at her all night and forget what had happened, not explain to Jaskier what was going on and that everyone had avoided mentioning to him so far. The young man looked at them almost horrified, gesticulating and babbling, unable to speak.</p><p>One of Tissaia's hands sank among the black curls and began to caress Yennefer's head with the tips of her fingers, causing the tension that Jaskier's reaction had created throughout her body to dissipate instantly. If Tissaia felt safe with the brunette, Yennefer felt balanced and calm with her.</p><p> </p><p>"No one was going to tell me that Yennefer is fucking the witch?" As soon as those words left his lips, the man could see his mistake and his death more clearly than ever before.</p><p> </p><p>Even if Sabrina hadn’t had a knife in her hand, Triss's hurt and offended look would have been more than enough to make him feel bad, but the blonde was armed and seemed willing to attack him at any moment, clearly mad at him. Yennefer, however, seemed to radiate some kind of chaotic energy motivated by her strong emotions she was feeling at the time. The only thing that had prevented the brunette from pouncing on her roommate, prey to those emotions, was Tissaia's firm arm around her waist and the contact of her hand against her head, fingers lost between black locks. Tissaia was holding her with some force, aware of what her reaction would be, she was keeping her under control and was the only barrier between stability and letting her emotions consume her at that moment. Yennefer knew how much it hurt her girlfriend when people called her that word, so she knew how hard it was being for her to keep her under control, as well as keeping her own facade and pretending everything was okay. Probably Tissaia was the only nature force able to keep Yennefer balanced and to prevent her for wreaking havoc.</p><p>Triss took Sabrina’s knife, when she saw that she was approaching Jaskier dangerously, but the tension generated in a matter of a single minute was instantly erased, as soon as a head painted with blonde hair appeared by the doorstep, looking around with confusion and an exaggerated frown. Ciri knew how some people called her aunt and was willing to hit whoever had done it that time and in her presence, but seeing Triss with a knife and menacing look, Sabrina looking like an horror film murderer and Yennefer being held in the arms of the woman in question… It left her more confused than she had expected.</p><p> </p><p>"Aunt Ti?"</p><p> </p><p>All present, including Jaskier, stood still, observing the new addition to that discussion with different levels of curiosity and confusion. With a long sigh against her girlfriend's shoulder, Yennefer left a brief kiss on her neck before throwing her head back and separating slightly to one side. Ciri, without hesitating for a second, ran in the direction of the woman, until she collided with her body and surrounded her tightly with both arms. The teenage girl was still shaking, but that didn't stop Tissaia from narrowing her tightly between her arms and leaving a kiss on her hair, ignoring the stab of pain by her ribs.</p><p> </p><p>"Why are you here? Wat happened?" Tissaia's voice showed concern, prompting Ciri to try to hide even more in her arms, instead of answering. Apparently, most of the people important to Tissaia had a bad habit of getting into trouble, but only those who were younger than her ended up running into her arms at some point or another, seeking refuge of some kind after doing so. The chestnut sighed, pressing the young woman closer.</p><p> </p><p>"Let's go to my room," Yennefer had leaned against the countertop by her girlfriend, ignoring the rest, because she still felt the urge to hit Jaskier. Tissaia nodded and was the first to leave, taking Ciri with her, Yennefer waited to hear her bedroom door open to talk again, "I don't know how long it will take, but Calanthe should be here in a few minutes".</p><p> </p><p>Sabrina nodded and took the knife from her girlfriend, while the brunette disappeared and Jaskier changed the weight from one leg to another, hesitating whether asking about it could cost him his life.  Would it be smarter to go hide in his room or put up with Triss' speech and the blonde's wrath? They were still armed, though.</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer went to her room and closed the door behind her, smiling when she saw Tissaia sitting on the bed and Ciri curiously looking at photos of both of them that Yennefer had hung on the cork on the wall —having added a couple more over the past two weeks— for she had never seen her aunt smile so much. That seemed to help the teenager calm down and regain her usual attitude, so Yennefer did not bother to hide the blush from her cheeks at the time Ciri stopped to read the note, then looked significantly at both women. She would never look at Cintra’s office with the same eyes.</p><p> </p><p>"Fancy a bite to eat or drink?" Yennefer looked at Ciri, a little nervous.</p><p> </p><p>"Nope", having analyzed all the photos and notes hung, Ciri sat next to her aunt and rested her head on her shoulder, relaxing as she felt the woman's arm surround her. She hadn’t expected Tissaia to be there, but her company was exactly what she needed —well, Calanthe’s too. When Ciri spoke again, her voice was a whisper, as if she were waiting for her to be scolded. "Can you tell her? I didn't want her to worry and now..."</p><p> </p><p>"I'll take care of it, I have a good hand with the women in your family," Yennefer winked at her, and Ciri wrinkled her nose.</p><p> </p><p>"That’s gross!"</p><p> </p><p>"You've thought grossly! That kind of good hand I only have it with your aunt!"</p><p> </p><p>"Yennefer!" Tissaia rolled her eyes when Ciri laughed and then shook her head, "you two are incorrigible".</p><p> </p><p>The brunette sat on the floor in front of Tissaia and rested her chin on her knees, looking at them both with a little smile. The silence lasted a few seconds, before Yennefer decided to start talking, aware that Tissaia was not planning to interrupt her any more than necessary until she told her what had happened.</p><p> </p><p>"We had to meet to go shopping, but I spent more than an hour waiting for Ciri, so I got tired and went to pick her up from high school. She had a rehearsal after class and I thought maybe she'd still be there," Yennefer paused for a moment, watching the teenager hug the woman more tightly, "a man was trying to kidnap her when I found them".</p><p> </p><p>"It was Cahir, the literature teacher," Ciri clarified, though recalling something, it seemed to cheer herself up, "but Yen punched him so hard that she almost threw him to the ground! She’s like a superhero."</p><p> </p><p>"Did she really do that?" Tissaia raised an eyebrow and placed her right hand on the one Yennefer had left on her thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze. The older woman was usually against violence, but there were cases where it was justified, and she really appreciated that Yennefer had used it at the time.</p><p> </p><p>"Yes, but don't scold her... It was neat, you should have seen her," Ciri looked back at the chestnut, who was still looking at Yennefer.</p><p> </p><p>"Yes, well, I wasn't going to stare at how someone was hurt, much less if it was your family," Yennefer shrugged when she said that, brutally honestly, as usual.</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia's hand abandoned Yennefer's to end up on her cheek, and she urged her to rise enough to be able to kiss her just by leaning a little. The kiss was short and tender, but it was full of gratitude and emotions that Tissaia could not find the right words to express. Ciri leaned slightly to one side to leave them some space, a proud smile on her lips when she caught up hearing what her aunt whispered against Yennefer's lips before regaining her previous position completely.</p><p> </p><p>"Our family," Yennefer repeated, aloud, almost afraid that it would have been her imagination, and waiting for Tissaia to correct her. However, the teacher limited herself to nod only once, a loving smile on her lips. Three months had been enough for that to become a fact.</p><p> </p><p>"Then Eskel and Geralt appeared and kicked him," Ciri continued the story, seeing that the brunette had no intention of doing so. She felt safe enough hugged by Tissaia, so she did her best, "Nenneke told them to keep an eye on us, it's weird, but I'm sure Cahir would have killed us if they hadn't shown up… Or maybe Yen would have kicked him in the ass… Yeah, she’d probably done that."</p><p> </p><p>"Have you called the police?" Tissaia's hand, the one that had continued to caress her girlfriend's cheek stopped and descended to her neck, unconsciously.</p><p> </p><p>"No, Eskel said they would take care of it and that we should come home," Yennefer rested her head on the woman thighs, "and I preferred to go back and make sure no one was going to try anything else with Ciri, before doing anything at all".</p><p> </p><p>"Alright, everything will be..." Tissaia stopped when she heard a couple of knocks on the door.</p><p> </p><p>"Come in," Yennefer did not move, but she looked back at Triss as she stood still at the door.</p><p> </p><p>"Calanthe is here," the young woman stepped aside, in case Ciri wanted to go find her grandmother, but the teenager stayed where she was, waiting for the other two women to move.</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer was the first to stand, followed by Tissaia and Ciri. All three followed Triss to the living room, where Calanthe changed the weight from one leg to another, somewhat worried, despite Sabrina's company and a still shocked Jaskier. Cintra's owner seemed to relax remarkably when she saw her sister there, knowing that it meant the teenager was in the best hands, even if it only increased her concern and confusion much more. Eventually, Ciri approached her grandmother and hugged her with all her strength.</p><p> </p><p>"What happened? "Calanthe caressed Ciri's hair with some concern, as the girl had sounded quite upset when she had called her from Yennefer's phone.</p><p> </p><p>"Nothing serious, thanks to Yennefer and Nenneke," Tissaia broke the silence, finally, but it wasn't until Triss and Sabrina dragged Jaskier back into the kitchen that he continued, now whispering, "Geralt and Eskel were there when they tried to kidnap Ciri".</p><p> </p><p>"But Yennefer almost knocked Cahir out," the girl protested, causing Calanthe to stop looking at her to stick her eyes in the brunette. That look said more than a thousand words, but equally, the lioness nodded and gesticulated a 'thank you'.</p><p> </p><p>"I assure you, she's exaggerating," which didn't take away the impact on Yennefer's knuckles, which were a little swollen and sore already, "but if nothing happened at the end, it was thanks to Geralt and Eskel. Nenneke has some of her bodyguards watching us, although she didn't want us to know it so you two wouldn’t be mad".</p><p> </p><p>Calanthe's face showed that she did know, but Yennefer found herself in need of surrounding Tissaia's waist with one arm and using the thumb of her left hand to caress her forehead and erase from it the wrinkle that had been drawn in because of the discomfort.</p><p> </p><p>"I wouldn't be here if she hadn't," the dark-haired woman whispered, so that only her girlfriend would hear her, because she didn't want to worry the other two anymore. If Geralt hadn't stopped Cahir, he'd probably have killed her from the blow to the head.</p><p> </p><p>The chestnut said nothing, but she circled Yennefer's body with her arms and hugged her tightly, hiding her face against her shoulder.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm glad you were close then," Calanthe left a kiss on Ciri's forehead, "we'll be in Cintra all night, in case you need anything, but be careful too".</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer nodded, but her whole body strained when Tissaia spoke, her arms holding her against her body, as if that would prevent any harm to come to the younger woman.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm sorry," the whisper was enough for Calanthe to listen to her and frown.</p><p> </p><p>"You're not to blame for anything, so don't even think about this. It's just been a degenerate whom only the gods know what kind of disease he has. You enjoy of the night, not a question, though," it almost seemed like a threat, but that would probably be the only way to prevent the chestnut from considering doing anything other than what Calanthe had asked.</p><p> </p><p>"Be careful going back home," Yennefer smiled slightly.</p><p> </p><p>"We will… We, who will indeed go back, not like others," it was clear that she was just trying to tease them with that, because she also winked at them more than suggestively, "you should be thankful that mama didn't put a curfew on her".</p><p> </p><p>"I'm a worth trusting young lady and she knows her daughter will be in good hands,"  Yennefer joked back, making Ciri laugh and getting Tissaia to relax a little more.</p><p> </p><p>"I don't know if I'd say the same thing after seeing where your hands are, dear," with a raised eyebrow, Calanthe looked significantly at where the other brunette's hands had ended up.</p><p> </p><p>Instead of pulling her hands off Tissaia's ass, Yennefer gave a cheeky squeeze, causing the chestnut to startle and bury her face back against her shoulder with more purpose, to hide her reaction. Calanthe laughed.</p><p> </p><p>"I'd say my hands are also in a worth trusting place," Yennefer laughed, and she winked at Calanthe.</p><p> </p><p>"One more word and I'm leaving here," Tissaia's complain was impossible to be taken seriously, so both women laughed and said goodbye one last time, before Calanthe and Ciri finally left; not without the older woman approaching Tissaia and leaving a kiss on her hair.</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer and Tissaia remained in that position for a couple more minutes, before Triss loomed to find out the reason for so much silence. When the chestnut looked at the place where her friend's hands were, even though both women were just hugging each other, she cleared her throat loudly, to get both of them's attention. This time, Yennefer's hands ascended to the lower back of Tissaia with some disguise and red cheeks.</p><p> </p><p>"Dinner's almost ready," with some insecurity, Triss bit her lower lip and rested a hand on the door frame, thus keeping her balance better, "you're not going to leave, are you?"</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer tilted her head with some curiosity, but she kept quiet to let Tissaia answer.</p><p> </p><p>"No, the plan remains the same," said the chestnut, turning her head to look at Triss, who deliberately ignored the trace of moisture on her cheeks or the way the blue of her eyes had been almost completely replaced by her shinning pupils.</p><p> </p><p>"What plan?" Yennefer raised both eyebrows, alternating her gaze between the two women.</p><p> </p><p>"Well, you owe me a dinner with your friends, and I owe one with mine..." Tissaia backed out and looked her in the eye, though she needed the kiss Yennefer gave her to finally smile.</p><p> </p><p>"Mhm, do you have any dates in mind?"</p><p> </p><p>"Do you have plans tomorrow?"</p><p> </p><p>"Apart from not letting you out of bed? None... Although your mother told me to go have lunch on Sunday," Yennefer left one last kiss on Tissaia's lips before separating from her.</p><p> </p><p>"I don't know whether to be proud or offended that she warned you before she told about those things," the chestnut protested, shaking her head as she headed back to the kitchen.</p><p> </p><p>Triss, however, stared at Yennefer with a completely radiant smile, until the brunette raised both eyebrows, trusting her to tell her the reason.</p><p> </p><p>"I know I'm not telling you this enough, but thank you".</p><p> </p><p>"Why?" Yennefer approached her friend to surround her with one arm too, as she had not had time to greet her yet.</p><p> </p><p>"For making her happy," she whispered, so that only the brunette could hear her.</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer did not answer, letting her gaze wander until it perched again in Tissaia. No one in her right mind would be able to do anything to stop that woman from smiling or ruining her happiness, so the young woman did not see any merit in what she did. After narrowing Triss one last time against her, Yennefer returned to her place in Tissaia's arms, stealing the cup Sabrina had filled again and putting it back to the teacher's hands. The blonde simply fulminated her with her gaze, clearly outraged by her interruption and rolled her eyes when Tissaia surrounded Yennefer's waist, pampering her with it. The brunette's back was resting against the chestnut's chest who was practically the same height as her girlfriend, since she wore flat shoes and Tissaia wore tall stilettos. Tissaia's chin ended up resting on Yennefer's shoulder, while her fingers distractedly caressed the younger woman's hips and abdomen.</p><p>Apparently, Jaskier hadn't said one more thing since he had created the tense situation a while ago, sitting in a chair while looking for the right way to soften the atmosphere again... Or at least the relationship with her friends, which would surely happen if he managed to apologize to Tissaia. Sighing determinedly and emptying the glass of wine with a sip, he stood up and approached Yennefer —as there was no possible way to address Tissaia with her in the middle— and took a deep breath before he began to speak.</p><p> </p><p>"I... I'm so sorry for what I said earlier, Tissaia," the man made a great effort to keep his eyes on the chestnut, this being the only thing that allowed him to see her expression soften slightly and something like a smile made her eyes shine.</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer drank some wine, not at all willing to move.</p><p> </p><p>"Don't worry, I know what everyone thinks of me, that's fine," Tissaia's caresses on Yennefer's abdomen managed to distract her enough to forget to discuss that nonsense; clearly it wasn't right, but it seemed like Jaskier was going to do it for her.</p><p> </p><p>"It's not right... Yenna doesn't have enough bad taste to be with an unpleasant person and... Well, I've never seen her so happy with anyone, so that should be enough to prove everyone wrong," Jaskier scratched the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable not using sarcasm and humor to get out of that situation. "The thing is, I've been a little kind of an idiot and... "</p><p> </p><p>"A little?" Yennefer looked at him over the glass, with both eyebrows raised, "auch!" She complained when Tissaia stuck a finger in her side, even if it was more for the show that for any real pain.</p><p> </p><p>"Alright, alright, I've been very idiotic, but I'm really sorry. "</p><p> </p><p>"Jaskier," Tissaia extended one of her hands to his arm and struggled to smile at him with a certain sweetness, "don’t worry, really. It’s okay and everything is forgiven."</p><p> </p><p>"You're too soft," protested the young woman, who had ended up in the middle.  Any former student of Tissaia would take the opposite view, but they did not really know her.</p><p> </p><p>"And whose fault would that be, my love?" Tissaia looked at her with a raised eyebrow.</p><p> </p><p>"Sure, you blame the sexy girl who's taking you for the wrong path," Yennefer turned to kiss the chestnut, finding her cheek.</p><p> </p><p>Jaskier relaxed to see that Yennefer no longer seemed angry with him and turned away a little, beginning to realize how overly glued the two women were all the time. A quick glance at Triss and Sabrina, also hugged, was enough to attract the attention of the blonde, who simply shrugged.</p><p> </p><p>"Don't expect them to split up," they're worse than you and Geralt," the blonde stuck her tongue out to the other two women, and Triss laughed softly.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm going to fill your bag with meatballs one of these days," Yennefer threatened, tearing off a laugh at everyone present, including Tissaia, much to Jaskier's surprise, who didn't think the woman knew how to laugh.</p><p> </p><p>"Well, it's not a lie either," Tissaia added, hugging tightly the brunette against her and leaving a kiss on her neck, "because I'm not going to part with you all night, my shining star in armor.</p><p> </p><p>"Mhm, who was going to tell me I was going to get Tissaia de Vries to say scientifically incorrect things… I can’t believe I ruined you," Yennefer turned in the hug to, this time actually, kiss her girlfriend, "but I intend to do it the anyway".</p><p> </p><p>"Idiot," Tissaia smiled and kissed her again, "my idiot..."</p><p> </p><p>"Well, enough, too much sweetness, I think I'm going to die of overdose," Jaskier took a hand to his chest, faking a heart attack and making those present roll their eyes, "it's ugly  to eat in front  of the hungry!"</p><p> </p><p>"Why don’t the hungry set the table," Triss laughed, "all of you out of here, Tissaia, will you help me serve dinner?"</p><p> </p><p>The chestnut nodded to her assistant's words and dropped Yennefer's waist to let her accompany Sabrina and Jaskier to the living room and set the table. Triss, on the other hand, grabbed a cloth to remove the roast from the oven, while Tissaia checked the sauce one last time, something quieter now that everything seemed calmer.</p><p>No more than two minutes passed before the teacher inadvertently began to speak in whispers, while both placed roast and sauce on each of the dishes.</p><p> </p><p>"Yen told me they tried to kidnap Ciri this afternoon. It was her literature teacher," when Tissaia said that, Triss stopped and turned to look at her, the silent question written on her face. "No, there's no evidence it was him, but I wouldn't be surprised if he had anything to do with it."</p><p> </p><p>"Is Ciri okay? And you?"</p><p> </p><p>"Yes, Yennefer showed up in time and punched the asshole," Tissaia sighed and put sauce on another plate, ignoring Triss's last question and her surprised look at the insult, "Nenneke has put us all under surveillance, so you should be safe."</p><p> </p><p>Triss nodded and took two of the dishes, letting Tissaia wear the other three, as her skills as a waitress were of the most admirable and far superior to those of the young woman. When they met with the rest in the room, Yennefer was the first to realize how serious the other two women looked, deducing in a matter of seconds the reason for it, as Sabrina and Jaskier did not have the slightest clue. One part of the brunette felt calmer about Triss being informed so she could be careful, but another felt guilty that her friend had to go through it instead of living happily in the unknown.</p><p>Yennefer got up to throw Tissaia's chair back, like a gentlewoman, aware that she didn't need any help, but enjoying doing little things like that. Tissaia sat next to Yennefer, Triss in front of her boss and next to Sabrina and Jaskier left a free chair by his side, confident Geralt could arrive in time for dinner.</p><p>Not wanting to disappoint his boyfriend, the whitehead opened the door when Sabrina filled with wine all the glasses, telling them how good the bottle was, before starting to eat. All greeted him cheerfully, except Tissaia, who merely raised an eyebrow upon seeing him; Geralt, on the other hand, stared at the teacher, both eyebrows raised with more surprise than his face had reflected in many years. What Tissaia was doing there was a mystery to him. Not to mention that Jaskier was over-gesticulating towards him so that he would come and greet him properly, so, with a growl, the white-haired man walked to his boyfriend and kissed him, being dragged to the chair between him and Triss. From that new perspective, he could see one of Yennefer's arms disappearing under the table to one side, where Tissaia's thigh would surely be.</p><p>Although the rest of the dinner passed quietly, the conversation was always light and kept away from delicate subjects, it was obvious that Geralt was nervous and not entirely comfortable with Tissaia's presence and was too clumsy to disguise it. Sabrina had taken her girlfriend's hand to leave caresses on it and distract her, so she wouldn't notice that detail, but even Yennefer was starting to get upset about the way Geralt looked at them from time to time. What was wrong with the men on that apartment? Were they all idiots?</p><p>As if that weren't enough, every time she was about to open her mouth to say something, Tissaia's hand found her leg and started stroking her until she calmed down —although calming her down wasn't all she was getting, but she'd better take care of that afterwards— so Yennefer didn't get a chance to jab him for behaving like an idiot with her girlfriend. One of the times Geralt deliberately ignored Jaskier's question about what he had been doing that day, Tissaia's hand found the brunette's leg again, hoping that she would say nothing about it and that it would be enough to keep her calm. However, to hope that after having been bothering her for more than an hour, a caress was going to be enough to keep Yennefer under control, was naive.</p><p> </p><p>"You'd be surprised what your boyfriend does in the afternoons".</p><p> </p><p>"Yenna..." Tissaia whispered, but it was of little use when they all turned to look at the brunette.</p><p> </p><p>"Really? Pleas, Yen, tell me everything," Jaskier put his almost empty glass aside and rested his elbows on the table to look at her.</p><p> </p><p>Geralt growled, glaring at her friend as a warning not to continue. Tissaia, on the other hand, gave a gentle squeeze to her girlfriend's thigh to leave the subject, but it was obvious that it was too late. The chestnut also made such a disguised gesture to the whitehead that only he could see it, but which caused his intentions to strangle his best friend to placate somewhat.</p><p> </p><p>"Well, you see Ger--" Yennefer turned her head sharply to Tissaia when the woman's hand stopped between her legs, doing enough pressure so that the brunette's mind could not continue to function normally. She would have expected that from someone like Sabrina, but from Tissaia? But then the brunette could hear Calanthe's voice telling her that she <em>'knew her sister'</em>... And yeah, definitely, whoever took the chestnut for a prude didn't really know her.</p><p> </p><p>"Don't look at me," the chestnut shrugged so naturally, it was impossible to say that something no one else was seeing was happening under the table; clearly, no one present there would expect Tissaia de Vries to be able to do something so highly inappropriate.</p><p> </p><p>Understanding the need to disguise, Yennefer then turned her gaze to Geralt and frowned, blaming him clearly, but she remained silent, for she was unwilling to rat on her girlfriend, no matter how tortuously pleasant it was becoming. Now it was Geralt who shrugged, acknowledging some guilt, as if he had just kicked her under the table without anyone but the two of them knowing.</p><p> </p><p>"It's not fair to get her to shut up," Jaskier looked dramatically upset at her boyfriend, "Yeeeeeeen, avenge yourself, tell me".</p><p> </p><p>The brunette slowly took air and shook her head, praying for her cheeks not to become a darker shade of red after feeling Tissaia’s finger moving up and down her trousers.</p><p> </p><p>"It was nothing," she growled, knowing that she would not be able to speak normally; not when Tissaia's hand continued in the same place and her fingers were moving on the fabric of her trousers, tireless and menacing. That was definitely a great way to keep her quiet and the young lady was starting to hate how easy it had been for her girlfriend to find it. Eventually, Tissaia's hand ended up returning to Yennefer's thigh, to avoid unnecessary risks or scenes, but the brunette dared not try anything else again, unable to look up from her plate or control the blush of her cheeks. She needed urgent help and she knew hours would pass without it.</p><p> </p><p>After that, the conversation returned to safer topics that did not involve Geralt's work or what had happened that night, so dinner passed quietly, until Sabrina had to go to work and, a couple of hours later, they all decided to go to <em>sleep</em>.</p><p>Yennefer needed answers. Geralt wanted answers. Tissaia... Well, Tissaia just wanted to rest in her girlfriend's arms, so she'd probably end up forced to mediate in their conversation, for better or worse. When the whitehead knocked on the door of his friend's room and was told to come through, the image surprised him; after all, nothing had prepared him to see Yennefer and Tissaia being part of such a domestic and uncharacteristic scene from... Both of them.</p><p>With a sweatshirt and tracksuit pants from Yennefer —both of which were huge— glasses at the tip of her nose, her hair pulled up in a braid —which the two women knew would end up unsealed— and sitting on the bed, reviewing a couple of papers she wanted to have graded for the next day, was Tissaia, who also held a pen between her lips and another in her hand. Yennefer, on the other hand, had laid down, leaving her head on her girlfriend's lap while making sure she had correctly drafted the questions for one of Rita's exams; She wore a NASA black  T-shirt—which she had stolen from Tissaia when she decided to bring it in and try to wear it for sleep instead of a hoodie— a pair of pizza-printed pajamas pants, and had her laptop resting against her bent legs.</p><p>Yennefer had diverted her attention from the screen to Geralt, confused by the interruption, however, she soon shut down the computer and set it aside; without changing her position on Tissaia's lap. Yennefer raised both eyebrows, waiting for the man to speak.</p><p> </p><p>"Are you...?" Geralt frowned and made a move with his hand, not knowing exactly what word to use.</p><p> </p><p>"Dating? Yup," the brunette turned her head, so that her cheek was the one pressed against Tissaia's thigh, "I thought Jaskier would have told you by now".</p><p> </p><p>Geralt growled and stopped looking at her friend to lay his eyes on Tissaia, who preferred to reply to a text rather than pay attention to the conversation of the other two.</p><p> </p><p>"Does everyone already know? Did you tell her what she's getting into?"</p><p> </p><p>"Don't talk about me like I’m not here," the brunette complained, though when Tissaia’s hand perched on her hair and started stroking her calp with her fingernails, she momentarily forgot why.</p><p> </p><p>"Yes, Geralt, Yennefer knows perfectly well the danger she is in," the eldest looked at him with neutral expression, "and that's why Nenneke has asked Eskel to keep an eye on her. My best guess is that she has put Ciri under your vigilance, I have Lambert, Triss to Sorel and Cal and Eist to the Old Witcher and someone   else," with a sigh, Tissaia put the papers aside and continued to caress the black mane. The whiteheaded nodded, confirming the allocation of bodyguards she had just suggested.</p><p> </p><p>"Gascaden is covering Vanielle," he added in a murmur, before getting serious again; while he now understood why Nenneke's personal guard was protecting the De Vries and Yennefer, there were things that still didn't fit. He had too many questions and no one gave him the answers, "why do you do it if you know your life is in danger? Have you been hiding Tissaia's identity from us all this time? How long have you known."</p><p> </p><p>"Excuse me?" Despite Tissaia's attempts to keep her calm with caresses, Yennefer joined in and looked at him offended, "what do you mean, 'why do I do it'?"</p><p> </p><p>"Yenna..." Tissaia sighed, despondently, cursing internally the lack of tact of the whitehead.</p><p> </p><p>"No, Tissaia, I'm sick of everyone questioning our feelings," the brunette stood up and came up to Geralt. She was lower than him, but she still managed to be much more imposing and scarier than the man, especially when she stuck her index on his chest, "you have no right to comment on our relationship," she pulled her finger back and nailed it again, pushing Geralt back, "to assume that there are no feelings between us," the violet orbs reflected so much anger that Geralt just wished he hadn’t closed the door on the way in, so she could go back to the aisle, "or ask why I do or stop doing whatever I want," Yennefer stopped when the man's back was stuck to the door. "I love Tissaia, not only that, I owe her my life and I don't care if now my physical integrity is at risk because of my feelings, because I would go to war and give every last drop of my vital energy for her if she asked me to. So, Geralt, don't ever ask me anything like that again".</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia had risen from bed, worried, for she knew how her girlfriend could react when she thought someone questioned her decisions or feelings; so now she was standing behind her, ready to intervene and keeping quiet with her eyes fixed on the ground. She didn't understand what she'd done to deserve the love of a woman like that, but she knew she had to protect her and keep her by her side at any cost.</p><p>Geralt stared at her friend, surprise and fear overcoming his face. The young man had never thought that Yennefer could fall in love with someone like that, as she had always been the kind of person who had nothing serious with anyone and rarely managed longer than a month into a relationship, if she was lucky... But those feelings and love for someone she'd known for two or three months? Yennefer had changed a lot more than everyone thought. Not quite sure how to proceed, the whitehead looked at the chestnut for help. It took her several seconds for her, confused by silence, to look up and meet his yellow eyes. Understanding Geralt's plea, Tissaia approached and placed a hand on the other woman's back, placing it among her shoulder blades.</p><p> </p><p>"Sweetie, Geralt is part of Nenneke's security team," the tone of Tissaia’s voice had changed markedly from Geralt's point of view; she was completely soft and he didn't remember seeing her use it for years, "he also works in one of the Duchess's clinics, since I suggested that he could be a great doctor, until they need to send him somewhere else, like, for example, to keep an eye on Ciri," Yennefer dropped her hand, though her expression continued to be murderous, "he's very good at his job, so he'll keep Ciri safe," Tissaia stroked her girlfriend's back gently, letting her hand descend to the bottom of it. "But that doesn't mean that, as your friend, he doesn’t care about your well-being and want to try to protect you too, Yenna," Tissaia allowed her lips to curve into a little smile, while the brunette relaxed her shoulders and looked down, "friends are also part of the family and you know it."</p><p> </p><p>"I'm sorry, Ger," she murmured, somewhat sorry that she had exploded like that. Now that the scold was over, she saw it clearer.</p><p> </p><p>The man looked at Tissaia with surprise for a moment, for he had never seen his friend so quickly calm a fit of rage, but then he shook his head and, with his huge, kind of clumsy arms, surrounded them both and hugged them. Geralt was not a skilled person with words, the gestures themselves were also difficult for him, but he did not know what else to do at a time like that, so he got carried away by his impulse. Tissaia corresponded to the gesture instantly, using her free arm to hug the whitehead and the other to keep Yennefer as close as possible.</p><p> </p><p>"Thank you both for what happened this afternoon," Tissaia whispered in the embrace, as she had not yet had the opportunity to thank them.</p><p> </p><p>"It's my job," the white-haired man stated, finally letting them go.</p><p> </p><p>"And my family," Yennefer circled the chestnut shoulders, seeking to reinforce her own words.</p><p> </p><p>Tissaia smiled and pulled Yennefer back, wanting to give Geralt a chance to flee now that the young woman had calmed down enough. Surely both would have more questions, but with the tension that had arisen in that brief exchange, it would be best to leave them for another time and, hopefully, she would get the two young people to realize it. Tissaia guided the other woman to bed, keeping her hand in the same low area of the woman's back and Geralt opened the door before missing the opportunity.</p><p> </p><p>"Good night," he growled, before going out and closing behind him, not waiting for an answer.</p><p> </p><p>While the two women stared silently at the door, Yennefer soon turned and placed both arms around Tissaia's neck, looking for her gaze. She waited until she was sure that the blue eyes were perched on her violet ones and then bit her lower lip before speaking.</p><p> </p><p>"I love you," she whispered and bowed her head until her forehead was resting against Tissaia's.</p><p> </p><p>"I love you too," Tissaia raised a hand and took it Yennefer's cheek, caressing it tenderly, "although I must say that seeing you angry has an unexpected effect on me," she purred.</p><p> </p><p>"Really? In that case I must do something about it..." Yennefer laughed, aware that neither of them was going to be able to work more that night.</p><p> </p><p>Geralt heard Tissaia laugh from across the door and his whole body relaxed instantly. He was leaning against the wall of the hallway, with his eyes nailed to the entrance of the room, as his concern for both women was far superior to the guilt he might feel for the way he acted. He had known Yennefer for years, as she was the only girl who didn't come up to him to try to flirt from day one studying medicine together; he was very fond of the brunette and he didn't want anything to happen to her, but... He had known Tissaia since he could remember. Vesemir had always taken him with him back and forth, so he had spent a lot of time at the De Vries' house and that meant growing up with Tissaia as a reference and almost an older sister.</p><p>No, what Geralt had felt over dinner had not been disconfort about Tissaia's presence —perhaps a little of awkwardness, because of the ridicule image Jaskier had been giving, before he officially introduced them, as he had been wanting for almost a year— but what had really provoked the whitehead's strange reactions over dinner was the fact that he was too concerned about the woman's well-being. He loved Yennefer, she was his best friend, but trusting Tissaia's heart to someone unable to have serious relationships? He should be excused if he had a hard time trusting someone who rather liked to play with her lovers.</p><p>Jaskier would probably be upset with him when he had to make the official introductions —especially since Calanthe and Vesemir had already insisted on him a couple of times— but Geralt could deal with him without a problem. Surely, if Geralt had attended the last family reunion instead of spending the weekend with Jaskier, his encounter with Yennefer would have been much more relaxed and less... Terrifying.</p><p>But, after all, perhaps Nenneke was right and Destiny did exist… And listening to Yennefer and Tissaia trying not to laugh too loud—or make other sounds that he preferred not to think about, as he walked to his room— the truth is that he did not dislike the fact that Destiny existed and brought them together.</p>
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<a name="section0026"><h2>26. Reaction (II)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>It's been a while, sorry, I haven't had holidays and my brain is still half death (besides I have a lot of ideas and I can't manage to docus on only one thing).</p><p>Anyway, this chapter is one of the first that will throw some light to a pair of questions, hopefully, so I hope you enjoy it!!</p><p>
  <strong> TW: blood, mentions to torture, violence. </strong>
</p><p>As usual, all mistakes on my own &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
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  <em>"What's the name of that flower?" The girl pointed out one of the plants that the woman next to her was transplanting from one pot to another, it had five open white petals with soft violet spots, a long, strong stem, supported by a small, thin stick, and only two leaves at the base.</em>
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  <em>Tissaia was five years old, but her eyes showed such hunger for knowledge that looking at them was almost terrifying. Besides, the color of both orbs changed with every emotion that dared to be reflected in that small, sharp face that always showed a subtle and fascinated smile. Next to her was a woman with dark brown hair who did not reach thirty years old, but whose deep blue eyes began to show small wrinkles because of the permanent smile on her face.</em>
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  <em>"They are orchids, my little skylark," the woman finished accommodating the plant in the soil of her new pot and shook the remaining dirt of her hands, then she looked at the girl, "their scientific name is Orchidaceae".</em>
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  <em>"I like the sound of it," Tissaia wrapped her arms around the woman's neck when she took her in her arms, thus preventing her from sitting on the table as her first intention had been, "can we study French today too? I already know the periodic table by heart".</em>
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  <em>Perhaps, if the girl hadn't turned her face into an adorable pout, the woman would have been able to refuse, but instead she just let out a little laugh and pressed her lips on the girl's forehead.</em>
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  <em>"We can do whatever you want, but don’t tell your mother I let you change the subjects".</em>
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  <em>"You have my word," with a big smile, the girl leaned forward to kiss her cheek, "will you teach me Elder too?"</em>
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  <em>"Time will tell, my dear child, time will tell," shaking her head, the woman decided to set aside the plants and walk back to the house, with the girl in her arms.</em>
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  <em>It was no wonder that Tissaia got bored in class, despite being her first year, when all the children were learning spelling and grammar rules, she was improving her second language, had the level of a teenage girl in science and kept insisting on learning more and more every day. At first, Adalia had refused to let Tissaia study things that exceeded the optimal level for her age, but since, at only four years old, she discovered her sitting behind the sofa, reading one of Calanthe’s dictionaries in the middle of the night, with a flashlight... Well, maybe there was nothing a woman could do to keep the girl from satisfying her hunger for knowledge, even at such a young age, and she knew that insisting for her to go and play with other children would not help at all. Nenneke had been delighted to volunteer as Tissaia's tutor, although Adalia herself was sure that she had also had something to do with the girl’s idea of borrowing one of Calanthe's books.</em>
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  <em>"Don't even think of teaching her a third language until she is ten, I strongly refuse," Adalia warned, when Tissaia and the Duchess passed by her side and went into the kitchen.</em>
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  <em>"But mommy! Elder sounds sooooooooo well," the girl's lips wrinkled into an adorable pout again.</em>
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  <em>Adalia looked at the girl, stunned and not knowing how to refuse… So, she just glared at the other woman as she heard her laugh, knowing who was teaching her how to be that cute. She wasn't surprised that they had allied against her, but he couldn't believe that someone supposedly mature was going to give reason to a five-year-old girl so brazenly. Luckily for Adalia, the front door of the house slammed shut and Tissaia nearly threw herself to the ground from Nenneke's arms, remembering at the last minute that it would be extremely rude.</em>
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  <em>"This... Uhm… Can we study later?"</em>
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  <em>Nenneke didn't have time to give an answer —exactly as this time Tissaia didn't bother to use one of her adorable expressions— before  Calanthe's head peeked out the kitchen door. The girl thanked the Duchess for loosening her grip and leaning forward, then jumping out of her arms to run and crash into her older sister's legs.</em>
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  <em>"Cal! Cal! Cal! Hiiiii."</em>
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  <em>"Good afternoon kiddo, did you miss me?" Calanthe leaned forward, in order to take the girl into her arms.</em>
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</p><p><em>"Yes!" The girl laughed, "I learned a lot of things today... And I've prepared a Power</em> <em>Point for you on why you have to eat your dinner vegetables!"</em></p><p>
  
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  <em>That last statement made the three women laugh, so the girl merely sighed dramatically and rolled her eyes, as if she were the only adult present, rather than the youngest and just a five year old kid.</em>
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</p><hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>Blood was dripping from Calanthe's hands on the shinning white floor with a rhythmic sound. Fortunately, whoever had built those facilities had arranged a slightly sloping floor with a couple of drains to make it easier to clean any residue that could cover the normally gleaming tiles, so they wouldn't have to worry about things as stupid as blood accumulation or big strains. The dark-haired woman was sitting in a chair, contemplating the bonds that kept the man attached to a rather uncomfortable metal chair. His wrists were tied to the armrests, while his ankles were secured on the chair legs with black plastic flanges to avoid any unforeseen events. The man looked pitiful despite having spent less than a day in that room, something Calanthe was fully proud of. People tended to rule out her threats or to assume that she wasn’t serious, but that was their mistake, not hers.</p><p>The woman's cheeks were covered in blood spatter, her hair shedded and her pupils completely dilated, showing how much she was enjoying that moment. Calanthe had only spent a few hours in the man's company, but they had been enough to show him that no one touched her fucking family.</p><p> </p><p>"You've attacked my granddaughter," the brunette took a towel to wipe her hands, without even looking at Cahir, "and if there's anything I can't stand," leaving the towel aside, Calanthe stretched out and leaned forward, ignoring the sound of the man's blood falling on the ground now, or how he winced, terrified of what would come next, "is people threatening my family. No fucking one hurts my family and, if they do… Well, you see what can happen".</p><p> </p><p>With a dark, sadistic smile, Calanthe placed both hands over the man's head, holding him while she let her fingers position themselves on the lower part of his lachrymal and beginning to put pressure on them. Surely, if Geralt had not opened the door at the time, Calanthe’s terrifying expression would have been the last thing Cahir would have seen; but to the woman's misfortune, the whitehead felt that there was no better time to interrupt than that. With a sudden head movement, Calanthe looked at Geralt and raised an eyebrow waiting to receive an explanation for that interruption; the whole woman's face was splattered with blood, her hands still red and her clothes stained, several locks of hair escaping from the braid in which she had picked her black mane up, sticking to her face because of sweat and blood.</p><p> </p><p>"There's something I have to tell you," the bodyguard growled.</p><p> </p><p>"Do it then," Calanthe let go of the professor's head and settled back into the chair, "it's not like our new friend is going to leave any time soon, so don't worry about secre... Wait, shouldn't you be watching my granddaughter?"</p><p> </p><p>"She promised me she's not going to leave the house," Geralt approached the woman and leaned on the wall behind her, "it's about Tissaia, I'd rather no one else heard it".</p><p> </p><p>"You and I are going to have a talk about trusting a teenage girl's word, Geralt", the woman sighed heavily, not at all content with not knowing something about her sister, "spit it out at once, I have enough with one idiot", she snorted.</p><p> </p><p>The man took a hand to the back of his head and hesitated for a moment, before he began to speak.</p><p> </p><p>"Apparently Vilgefortz didn't kill her patient as we all thought... Ti told me the patient was Yennefer and that there was a misunderstanding, I didn't want to ask her about the details, but she was sure about it," the whitehead put both hands in his pockets and rested his head against the wall to look at the ceiling.</p><p> </p><p>"What about the papers? And what about what he and the nurse said?" It was clear that something did not fit, but the brunette was unable to assume exactly what it was about.</p><p> </p><p>Cahir coughed and spat some blood, while trying to laugh, for he was almost choking on it. Furious, Calanthe got up and held him by the hair before hitting him hard with her right fist.</p><p> </p><p>"What the fuck is so funny to you?" The woman tinged, as the whitehead looked away so as not to see that carnage.</p><p> </p><p>"It's obvious," the man murmured, before he took the next hit. Everything moved around him, constantly darkening and lighting up, as the voices were heard muffled and distant, almost as if they were not real.</p><p> </p><p>"What the fuck is obvious?"</p><p> </p><p>"Cal, wait," Geralt held his arm before she could hit Cahir again and pulled her away.</p><p> </p><p>The door opened again, but this time it was a woman who entered the room.</p><p> </p><p>"What’s up, bitches?"</p><p> </p><p>The woman's hair was black and it was picked up in a tight herd braid attached to the backof her head, the clothes she wore were dark and consisted of military-style black pants, boots of the same color and a military-printed jacket in grey and black tones. Her skin looked lighter than usual because of the way light reflected on the bright white surfaces of the room, but her cheeks were slightly flush —although it was impossible to say whether that was good or not. The woman walked past Calanthe and Geralt, and stopped for a moment to evaluate Cahir's appearance and condition. Calanthe, however, took a whole minute to analyze the woman she didn't see as often as she’d like to —clearly the lack of neckline had had a lot to do in the realization time— although it was impossible for her to deduce what <em>she</em> was doing there or even why.  Despite the presence of the other woman, Calanthe wallowed between Geralt's arms for him to let her go so that she could break more of Cahir's bones, considering that she was far from finished with him; as a result, Geralt took an elbow to his nose and a couple of stomps on his foot, but he did not let her go.</p><p> </p><p>"Cahir, you know after what you've done, you're not going to get out of here alive, don’t you, dear?" The woman’s smile was completely terrifying, "but you may have a chance to survive if you tell us what's so obvious to you," the young lady sat in the chair that Calanthe had been occupying, after turning it so she could cross both arms in top of the chair back, "you can get out of it if you give us some information, it's a good deal, isn't it?" However, when no answer came she gave a brief round of applause and leapt to her feet, "great! Finally some fun, it’s been ages," the young lady turned to the bodyguard and the other woman with a big smile, "Ger, love, turn off the cameras for a while, will you?"</p><p> </p><p>"Her highness will be angry if..."</p><p> </p><p>"It was her who called me and told me she needed someone who could get her some information. So do as I say, I have to met my girlfriend and friends for lunch and I don't want to be late... Besides, I won't be able to look Tissaia in the eye if I don't take something out of this piece of shit," she gestured to show them out and, when it didn’t work, she pulled them to the door. She smiled a little more when Geralt dragged Calanthe out, "well, well, well… Where were we? Oh, yes, I was saying I support men rights. Men rights to..."</p><p> </p><p>The door closed behind her back, preventing the other two from hearing the end of that sentence. The owner of Cintra was still more than confused by that woman’s presence there, but the fact that she had asked someone to turn off the cameras and stay on a lot with Cahir, while smiling like that, was unsettling even for Calanthe herself —and she had been torturing that man for hours. Besides, what was Rita's girlfriend doing there? That the brunette knew, in addition to working as Vanielle's assistant and being one of her sister's friends, that woman had no kind of relationship with the family; not even the way Triss did. Geralt took her to the locker room so she could take a shower and gave her some clothes to change her bloody strained ones once she was done. Neither of them said anything at all in all that time, for among them silence had always worked much better than words; especially considering that neither of them was especially good at using them.</p><p>When Calanthe came out of the locker room with the clothes Geralt had given her, the bodyguard was waiting for her, leaning against the wall with a grim expression, but he did not move as she approached. The woman stopped when she reached where he was and decided to lean next to him, crossing her arms. With a deep sigh, Calanthe closed her eyes and set aside all the aggressive thoughts related to returning to the white room and continuing to torture Cahir, aware that she had had much more time and freedom than anyone in her own condition could have dreamed of.</p><p> </p><p>"Her highness wants to talk to you," Geralt finally said, side-glancing at her, "you're not going to hit her too, are you?"</p><p> </p><p>"I'm sorry I used you as punching bag," the woman sighed, opening her eyes again, "are you alright?"</p><p> </p><p>"I'll survive," the white-haired man growled, totally willing to exaggerate his condition once he came home to get the attention of his boyfriend and older sister, knowing that with Calanthe that wouldn't work, "shall we?"</p><p> </p><p>"If you're going to play the hurt puppy, don't even think about telling Tissaia it was me," she warned, sticking a finger in the man's chest before nodding.</p><p> </p><p>"Don't be silly, she would look at us with that disappointed face of hers if she found out that Nenneke has an underground and secret prison in Thanedd that also functions as a torture center, and we haven't told her about it".</p><p> </p><p>Calanthe nodded with a bitter smile. Geralt took off from the wall to accompany the brunette through the hallways of the building and upstairs for several floors until they both ended on the living room of a small lost cabin in the middle of the forest. This house was little more than a bathroom and a large room in which there was a bed, a kitchen, a sofa in front of the fireplace and a table with some chairs. Geralt let the woman go up first, and then he closed the trapdoor behind him, covering it with the nearest carpet. Calanthe, let her gaze tour the room until it stopped at Nenneke’s figure a moment, and then traveled to Philippa, who was washing her hands in the sink. The woman approached the table and sat in the chair in front of the Duchess, deliberately ignoring the cup of steaming tea she had arranged for her —she was very calm, super calm, the calmest of the calmest, so she didn't need any kind of infusion— she just crossed her arms and snorted, angry as fuck.</p><p> </p><p>"What's she doing here?"</p><p> </p><p>"And I thought Tissaia was the straight one of the family," Philippa protested, "but I guess she can't have the title of 'hot goddess', 'nicer bitch' and 'most serious person' at the same time".</p><p> </p><p>"That will be enough, dear," Nenneke warned, calmly, "Eilhart is one of my best agents, Cal, as well as one of the few neither you or Tissaia knew".</p><p> </p><p>"What...? Have you been using her to spy on my sister?" The lioness's frowned, showing her annoyance about it.</p><p> </p><p>"Yes," Philippa occupied one of the free chairs with a neutral expression and took a cup of tea to her lips, quietly. The printed jacket had disappeared and now she was only wearing a black suspender t-shirt, which would show the little tattoo of an owl on her right shoulder blade and outline the necklace that disappeared inside the shirt, "now, if we could focus, I have important plans with my friends and I want to be over this as soon as possible."</p><p> </p><p>"You mean the people you spy on?" The brunette growled.</p><p> </p><p>"Calanthe, my dear, I promise I will explain everything to you as soon as Philippa tells us what she has found out," Nenneke's words were the only thing that led the lioness to nod and bite her tongue, "now, my dear, go ahead".</p><p> </p><p>"Well, I'll start with what I found out about Yennefer as you asked me to… I mean, besides her records and all the legal matters. Vilgefortz and the nurse have been fucking for a long time. Her name is Sheala and he promised her a promotion and a raise if she helped trick Tissaia into thinking Yennefer was dead. They got a false certificate of her death, and Vilgefortz paid Yennefer's father to help him making the girl disappear. In addition, he paid for an operation to reconstruct her spine and jaw, so it would be impossible for Tissaia to recognize Yen if Destiny ever made them find each other again," Philippa took the cup to her lips and blew before taking a sip.</p><p> </p><p>"What?!" Calanthe stood up, pulling the chair back. Tissaia hadn't told her about it, so it took her brain a moment longer to join the dots, adding to the story what Geralt had told her before. Her hands ended up resting on the table with the palms down and holding part of her weight. Dear gods, she was so blood thirsty right then.</p><p> </p><p>"When I found out about the cancer, I knew that the only way I could convince Tissaia to make my surgery was to prove her that she wasn't responsible for any deaths. I asked Philippa to find out if there was anything that didn't fit and whether it was possible that Tissaia's patient hadn't died. When she found her and told me she was Yennefer, it was only a matter of time before joining the dots," the duchess pinched the bridge of her nose. "Besides, your mother told me the story after talking to Yennefer at home. She told her that Tissaia had saved her life. After  Geralt came this morning and told me Tissaia's version in a little more detail," Nenneke sighed and linked her fingers in front of her, on the table, "Yennefer is the girl who committed suicide. Well, who didn't".</p><p> </p><p>"Then can I...?" Philippa looked at the old lady with hope, but when Nenneke raised her hand, her expression fell, replaced by a small pout. Even Geralt had raised his head, letting his thirst for blood be seen.</p><p> </p><p>"Not yet, my dear, but soon. Did you get anything from Cahir?"</p><p> </p><p>"He works for Emhyr var Emreis".</p><p> </p><p>The other three people present in the cabin, besides Philippa, had not only suddenly become pale, but the tension was so clear and palpable that the young woman was sure that the slightest change could unleash an explosion of catastrophic levels.</p><p> </p><p>"What exactly did he say?" Nenneke's voice was firm, but it showed that that topic of conversation should be treated with care, "and what have you promised him?"</p><p> </p><p>"His initial orders were to keep an eye on Cirilla and wait, but less than a week ago his orders changed and became kidnapping the kid and taking her to an extraction point at the port. I don't think he knows anything else, he’s little more than a minion," Philippa said, "after that he has meet unconsciousness. He should survive, but I can't say for sure and I don’t really care, but I’m telling you before you get mad... And, as far as the deal was concerned, I simply had to tell him that she would never come near him again," the young woman pointed to Calanthe, whose hands were still resting on the table while watching them furiously, with her head tilted, "he was terrified, so it's been sadly easy".</p><p> </p><p>"Alright, my dear, I appreciate your help. For now your last mission remains being to protect Margarita and make sure Vilgefortz doesn't retaliate against her, after that, you're out of the wolves".</p><p> </p><p>"Yes, ma'am," Philippa left the cup and stood up, "thank you for everything".</p><p> </p><p>"And Philippa..."</p><p> </p><p>"Yes, ma'am?"</p><p> </p><p>"Don't let Vilgefortz approach Tissaia while you're around," Nenneke didn't look at her, but her voice was firm, "you're green to discover your identity if necessary, but stay out of trouble. Limit yourself to defensive movements, I want him alive".</p><p> </p><p>"Yes, ma'am," part of the tension on the spy's shoulders disappeared upon receiving that order, for since she had discovered what the man was doing to Tissaia, every time she knew he was near her and she could not prevent it, was worst than torture... Something no one had to know, of course.</p><p> </p><p>That said, Philippa retrieved her jacket and put it on, before leaving the cabin and leaving the three other people left behind. The young woman did not want to know more than she had already heard, she could not afford to let her emotions cloud her judgment and make her make some kind of mistake. Yes, Nenneke had realized much earlier than herself, but her emotional implications with Rita and Tissaia, now including Vanielle, Coral and the others too, were not    enough to prevent her from doing her job properly. Still, it was hard not to get emotionally involved with someone like Rita, was it? I mean, Philippa was human, after all, how was she supposed to avoid falling in love with someone like the blonde? For the young woman, that was an impossible task, not to mention the fact that all that had started precisely because she had become involved with Tissaia.</p><p> </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>The black-eyed girl ran down the corridors of the hospital as a soul carried by the devil, too scared to keep thinking of stopping, she barely dared to look back. Her clothes were torn and half burned, her body showing stains of tizne and some burns that should be treated, her face reflecting the purest panic. The girl's eyes were injected into blood and could not focus properly, as the entire area around them showed signs of being wounded in some way, almost as if they had been tried to foresote them out. But no one ran like that if there wasn't someone trying to catch her, right?</em>
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</p><p>
  <em>When the girl turned on the next corner, her body collided with that of someone else moving in the opposite direction. Due to the girl's speed, the impact caused her to stumble upon that person and both of them to fall to the ground, the girl being left on top and probably smearing the poor woman, on which she had landed, with ash and blood.</em>
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</p><p><em>"Are you alright?" The voice that reached the girl's ears was soft and, although she could not distinguish a single detail from the person in front of her, beyond her approximate small figure, that woman did not look like one of the people who were following her. In the face of the girl's lack of response, the woman extended one of her hands to place behind her ear one of the locks of hair that had escaped from one of her pigtails, </em>"<em>do you need help?</em> <em>Can I do anything for you?"</em></p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>Perhaps it was the tenderness of that voice, perhaps the tension and fear accumulated in the girl's small body, but it was nothing more than that needed for the girl's last barrier to break, causing tears to begin rolling uncontrollably down her face, dragging blood and ashes with them —and increasing the pain of her wounds— while her body began to tremble from sobs. The woman still under her took several seconds to react, but when she did, she sat on the floor and surrounded the girl's body with both arms, allowing her to let go of everything she needed. Her own clothes could not matter less to her, not when a little girl was in a state of terror such as she was.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The woman had been so focused on the little girl that she overlooked the two men dressed in black that had stopped at the end of the aisle, looking disgustedly at the scene. The two had a tattoo of a snake on their right arm, which was exposed by the sleeves halfway up their shirts. Next to them appeared a third man in a white robe whose face matched the expression of displeasure of the others. None said anything, but the three turned the corner again to be out of sight of the woman and girl, who still cried heartbrokenly and trembling in the arms of the oldest.</em>
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</p><p><em>"Do you want me to walk you to the bathroom and help you clean up?</em>"<em> The woman's pale fingers caressed the dark strands of the girl's hair, ignoring her dirtiness. Faced with the refusal of the girl, who was still looking for a way to bury herself against her body in search of shelter, the woman sighed, </em>"<em>what if I promise you that there will be people watching the door so that no one tries to do anything else to you?</em>"</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>The girl didn't respond immediately this time, because besides her mind processing things slowly, how could she be sure that woman wouldn't try to hurt her too? The truth was, she hadn't tried yet, even if she had had the chance, so maybe... With a brief nod, but with no intention of moving or letting go, the girl finally agreed to the woman's proposal. If she had to carry her to the room, it might take longer, but she saw no reason not to, so she carefully secured her grip on the small body and did all sorts of balances to stand up and walk in the direction of the room she had previously been addressing.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>It took the woman almost five minutes to walk down the corridor they were in and half the one on the right, to reach the door guarded for two men no more than twenty years old. The girl did not even look at them, keeping her face hidden against the shoulder of the woman carrying her in her arms. Not even she was sure why she was trusting a stranger she had knocked down in the middle of a hospital hallway, perhaps it was the warmth of her embrace, the tenderness of her voice, the soft aroma of vanilla and oak that reached her nose, making her way through the smell of burnt flesh, blood and smoke... Whatever the reason, the girl didn't want to part with that woman. The two men tilted their heads when they saw that the approaching woman carried someone in her arms. One of them raised both eyebrows, but it was the other who dared to speak, eventually.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>"What happened?"</em>
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</p><p>
  <em>"I don't know," the woman sighed, gently cradling the girl in her arms, "but I promised this young lady that you would guard the door so that no one would come in and try to hurt her, can I ask you to do so?"</em>
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</p><p>
  <em>"Of course you can, princess. If that is the case, you have our word that we will not allow absolutely anyone to pass," said the other man, as he bowed his head.</em>
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</p><p>
  <em>"Thank you, Eskel," the woman smiled slightly, and let the first man she had spoken open the door for her to enter, "and you too, Lambert".</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>The girl relaxed a little more in the woman's arms by hearing those words from the man and discovering that they both had a name and seemed to be friends with the woman. Apparently, the woman did plan to keep her promise and take her to a place where bad men couldn't hurt her. However, what the girl did not expect was to hear a new female voice, probably belonging to an older woman than the one who carried her in her arms.</em>
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</p><p>
  <em>"Tissaia, my dear, what...?"</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>"I found her in the hallway, she was hurt and scared," the woman's voice continued to be very soft and careful, as if she feared that the girl would break in her arms from one moment to the next. Something that wouldn't have happened if it weren't for that way of speaking, too tenderly, which caused the girl to sob again, "shhh, it’s okay love. You're going to be fine, I promise you," the woman, Tissaia, whispered against her ear, as if it were a very important secret.</em>
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</p><p>
  <em>"In that case, it's best to help her get clean. I'll call Vesemir to buy some clothes so she can change," the second woman, who was sitting on the bed with a book on her lap, reached out to take her cell phone, "take her to the bathroom, the poor girl looks like a plucked owlet".  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>"Well, I think she's a beautiful owl that flew past a chimney," Tissaia replied, before heading to where the other woman had told her to. Tissaia closed the door behind her and crouched down to her knees on the floor, trusting the girl to let her go rather sooner than later, although she seemed quite reluctant to do so, "hey, little owl, if you don't let me go, I won't be able to help you take off your clothes and shower... You don't want Nenneke to be right about it and look like a plucked owlet, do you?"</em>
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</p><p>
  <em>Nenneke? That name was vaguely familiar to the girl, although she did not finish locating exactly where or when she had heard it. However, she was not the kind of person who let other people be right about things, so despite not wanting to do so, she began to relax her limbs and released Tissaia, to stand in front of her. Even if she was not able to focus her eyesight, the girl noticed the new black and red spots on the woman's clothes and felt quite bad about it, so she could only look down. A hand, cold and extremely careful, perched under her chin, urging her to lift her head up and look her in the eye. If only she could tell Tissaia that she could hardly see her, she could see almost nothing... The next time the girl's eyes flooded with tears, the woman's two hands ended up perched on her cheeks, carefully cleaning them.</em>
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</p><p>
  <em>"Hey, I know you don't know me at all, and you don't trust me," the woman whispered.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>How could Tissaia believe she didn't trust her if she'd let her hug her and take her there? Besides, she was treating her more fondly than anyone before, nobody had shown her that tenderness or care before, and that included her own parents. Was she out of her mind or something? Well, she didn’t knew her, but anyway.</em>
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</p><p>
  <em>"But I promise you that I do not want to hurt you and that I will do everything I can to ensure that no one does so to you again," Tissaia stroked the cheekbones of the girl's cheeks with great care, not touching the wounds under her eyes, "my name is Tissaia, Tissaia de Vries, what is yours?"</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>The girl stared at the woman, plunged into the silence that question had provoked. Yes, maybe she'd just met her. Yes, maybe Tissaia wasn't aware that she'd saved her life at least once. Yes, maybe she couldn't see her well and appreciate her sharp features and soft expression. Yes, maybe the girl was sure she'd be able to hit any idiot just to defense that woman’s reputation. But why didn't her throat want to produce any kind of sound? Would it be the smoke? The consequences of having been screaming?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Watching the girl open and close her lips, but no sound, beyond small whines and growls, leaving them, Tissaia took her hands into her pockets, and pulled out of them a pencil and a small notebook. Even if Adalia hadn't let her work again in Cintra —Tissaia wasn't even able to get close to the bar without her mind looping the image of how someone stabbed Nenneke in it— the young woman was so used to having something around to take notes that, even when she wasn't at work, she carried the notebook. The girl did not take it immediately, because given her lack of vision, she was not sure she could write correctly; but, after a moment of thought, she concluded that it was her best option. Thus, with a trembling hand, the girl reached the pencil and notebook, on which she drew clumsy letters to give rise to a short word. While that was a diminutive, there was no other way the girl would want Tissaia to call her.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>"Poppy is a beautiful name," the woman whispered, retrieving the pencil and notebook, "so let's give you a shower or two. Then we'll ask Nenneke to call her doctor for a check-up, okay?" Seeing the expression of terror on the girl's face, Tissaia placed both hands on her shoulders carefully, "Nenneke won't let anyone hurt you. She is an important woman, and she will protect you, I promise... Now, do you want me to help you or do you think you can do it yourself, little owl?"</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>Poppy held one of Tissaia's arms, when she tried to move her hands away, so forcefully, that the woman began to doubt whether even in a locked room that girl would feel safe. However, with a small smile, Tissaia nodded and began helping the girl get rid of the clothes she wore and accompanied her to the shower. After making sure the water was at a pleasant temperature, she offered the girl a sponge with soap for her to start cleaning —so she would only have to take care of the girl’s face and back. The shower took more than half an hour, as they needed a total of three hair washes and four body washes to completely remove the blood and ash remains on the girl’s body. When Poppy was wrapped in one of the hospital's white towels, her inflamed and red wounds standing out against her pale, freckled skin, despite her flushed cheeks, Tissaia dedicated a small smile to her and then left a kiss on her forehead.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>"You're definitely a beautiful owl and Nenneke wasn't right," Tissaia grabbed the girl in her arms carefully, and sat her on the toilet so she wouldn't have to step on the barefoot ground, "I'm going to see if Vesemir brought us the clothes, will you wait for me for a moment?"</em>
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</p><p>
  <em>The girl nodded, sticking her eyes at the door, when Tissaia closed behind. Although the girl was only eight years old, she wasn't sure if she wanted to ask that woman to adopt her or to marry her, so maybe she should wait before deciding to ask her either. Either way, it wasn't like she had a place to go back to or a family waiting for her. Her parents had been killed, the house set on fire to try to hide any evidence about what had happened and men with snake tattoos wouldn't stop until they found and killed her. What should she do now? She couldn't talk and her eyesight was too blurry to help her in any way. Maybe she'd be better off dead, like her parents...</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The image of his father's dismembered body did not abandon her mind, just as the pool of blood where her mother and younger brother, a baby a few months old, rested didn’t either. However, when Tissaia re-entered the bathroom, all those horrible images disappeared to be replaced with a strange warmth and the soft aroma of vanilla and oak. How could she ask a stranger who she had just met and who had only helped her out of sorrow never to part with her again? She couldn't, it was a stupid thought… Feelings were stupid, she shouldn’t have them.</em>
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</p><p>
  <em>"I'm not sure if it'll be your type of clothes or your size, but hopefully it'll do for now," Tissaia approached the girl and left a couple of bags next to her. "Nenneke has promised me she'll take care of protecting you and helping you until you recover, so you have nothing to fear".</em>
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  <em>And, true to their word, Nenneke and Tissaia took care of Poppy for a whole month until her wounds healed —the loss of voice was temporary and only lasted a couple of weeks— and her eyesight returned to normal after the proper rest of her eyes and prescription glasses. However, after that month, in which Nenneke managed to get the girl to tell her what had happened, the Duchess told the girl an important truth that would mark the rest of her days. Poppy understood that the best thing she could do was disappear from the map and look for a new identity; stay hidden for a few years until whoever followed her lost track of her.</em>
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  <em>So, at the age of nine, Poppy left for Kaedwen with distant relatives —rather to The School of the Wolf, a training center for the elite corps that protected the Duchess— and  it wasn't until she was eighteen that Philippa Eilhart returned to Thanedd to begin studying physics and start her new life as the roommate of a chaotic, maniac young woman named Renfri, under strict conditions imposed by the Duchess herself regarding her identity.</em>
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  <em>While Tissaia and Poppy maintained contact through Nenneke, via letter or text message —since a few days before starting the exams, in the last letter Tissaia had received, there was a written phone number— Philippa was aware that she could not send her any kind of photo or information that gave away her real identity to the woman —who despite not being a physical and constant presence in Poppy's life, would always be there. In addition, contact between the two —even if Tissaia did not know it— had increased since the young woman began her classes in college, paying more attention to the teacher's assistant than to Klara Larissa herself.</em>
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  <em>Their relationship —at least Philippa and Tissaia's— narrowed over time, but especially when the young woman began working as Coral's assistant during her senior year as a student. How could she not be willing to accept any deal to protect her? Six years after that day, Tissaia was still the most important person in the universe to Poppy and, although for some strange and stupid reason, obviously not related to love, she was imagining a future with a certain blonde, a part of the young woman knew that it would never change. Tissaia had always gone around, helping everyone without asking for anything in return, but she had never turned to look at the large amount of people she had left behind, with a second chance and a debt to pay off.</em>
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  <em>And oh, Philippa had very creative ideas about how she was going to pay for hers.</em>
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<a name="section0027"><h2>27. Thermodynamics</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm really really sorry for being this slow, but I promise I haven't abandoned my yennaia fics, I just need time away from uni and to get over my block. But I couldn't leave you without anything after being asked, so if you're still there: I'm sorry and I hope you enjoy this chapter, thanks for reading &lt;333</p><p> </p><p>And I really hope you all are doing alright, I love youuuuuu!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
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  <em>When Tissaia opened her eyes, her chest rose and dropped rapidly because of a nightmare and her whole body was completely stiff. With her attention turned to the heat that Yennefer's body, to her breath and her heartbeat, Tissaia managed to calm her own pulse down and relax little by little, needing several minutes to regain the mobility of her limbs. Unable to stay in bed for a while, at least not directly, the chestnut moved carefully to get rid of Yennefer's arms and get out of it. Once free, it took her almost five minutes to find enough clothes, moving in the dark, to be able to leave the room without gaining the clueless gaze of someone in that apartment.</em>
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  <em>It was still early, it wouldn’t be more than five in the morning, so Tissaia took the papers and pens she had left forgotten the night before, as well as her glasses, and walked to the kitchen, trying not to make the slightest noise. The light was on, so the woman stopped a couple of steps from the entrance, hesitating whether to go back to Yen’s room so as not to disturb whoever had woken up before her. The idea of returning to Yennefer was more than tempting, despite the unpleasantness of being locked in the dark again; at least I wasn't alone. However, one whisper pulled her out of her thoughts and another made her get going again. She stopped by the small kitchen table and left the papers, without even looking up.</em>
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  <em>"You and Triss are the only two who take some care as you walk around the flat, but Triss does it on purpose and her footsteps are heard anyway, you're just incapable of making noise," Geralt smiled slightly at her. He was sitting in the second chair that had the table, a cup in his hands, "I made chocolate".</em>
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  <em>"I'm sorry to bother you," Tissaia took a seat in the free chair, but she didn't even try to curve her lips or lie to him.</em>
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  <em>"You never bother me," the whitehead got up and poured chocolate into a second cup he then left on the table, only after adding a drop of liquid vanilla to it. The woman smiled at the detail, though the gesture did not come to illuminate her face as it should, "another nightmare?" The woman nodded in response and wrapped the cup with both hands, "you want to talk about it?"</em>
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  <em>No, not really, thought Tissaia. </em>
  <em>Although they had been whispering until then, the silence that followed this issue was considerably remarkable, but Geralt had no intention of being the one to put an end to it. He knew that Tissaia normally needed time to think about her answers and that she probably wasn't willing to talk about what had happened, so the whitehead wouldn't be the one to rush the woman. Tissaia sank the spoon into the chocolate and pulled it out to take it to her lips and cleaned it quietly, taking at least five minutes of that quiet silence to decide to speak.</em>
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  <em>"The car was still on fire and hanging off the bridge," Tissaia's eyes were fixed on the chocolate, "Pavetta was still inside, but she couldn't get out," the woman took a moment, before proceeding, the spoon gently tapping her lower lip every time she moved her mouth to talk. While Tissaia used to be the embodiment of manners, there were small fractions of time when her behavior changed completely. Geralt had placed one of his big hands on which Tissaia had left around the cup, "Yenna, Ciri, Cal and Poppy were with her. They were trapped, burning alive and the car swayed over the edge, getting closer and closer to falling every time they moved to try to get out…" Tissaia’s voice finally broke, tears starting to gather on her eyes.</em>
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  <em>Instead of saying anything, the whitehead got up, moved his chair to Tissaia's and sat down, taking advantage of the new position to hug her tightly. Words were incredibly bad for him, but something told him that, at the time, nothing he said could help the woman feel better, so he just hugged her and left a shy kiss on her hair.</em>
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  <em>"What are you doing up?" It was obvious that the chestnut was crying, so Geralt agreed to let her deflect and change the subject; she had told him enough not to be in one of her comfort places.</em>
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  <em>"Thinking about how to tell my boyfriend that the woman I've been talking to him about for four years is my best friend's girlfriend and that his chance to make a good impression no longer exists," acknowledged the man, with a slight blush dyeing his cheeks, "let's say he wasn't your biggest fan as a teacher, and I avoided mentioning that Tissaia de Vries and my older sister are the same person."</em>
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  <em>"Have you told Jaskier about me?"</em>
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  <em>"Of course I have, you and Cal are almost my big sisters. I may have omitted your name because I knew that, being his former teacher, it was going to be weird, but..." The young man shrugged and Tissaia took the opportunity to soundly kiss his cheek, "I just hope he didn't tell you anything unpleasant, he's a big mouth and an idiot... And idiot I love, yes, but still an idiot."</em>
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  <em>"Nothing worth talking about, so you can rest easy, wolfie," the woman rested her head against his chest, enjoying the contact, while catching some chocolate with the spoon again," my mother told Yenna to go home on Sunday, you could take advantage of her there and take Jaskier too".</em>
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  <em>"I have to keep an eye on Ciri."</em>
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  <em>"I'm sure Cal's going too."</em>
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  <em>"Tissaia," the man growled.</em>
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  <em>"Do it for me... I have already introduced you to my girlfriend officially and had to take her home a few weeks ago," to convince him, the chestnut used a millennial and complex technique: she used puppy eyes, "if I had to go through that, so do you".</em>
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  <em>"Do you want to trigger a war? Put Jaskier together with Cal, Adalia and Nenneke? What about Yen around? This is like mixing the most volatile people on the continent with two masterminds and lock them on a room."</em>
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  <em>"Don't be like that, it'll be fun, come oooooooon," maintaining her lovely expression, finally Tissaia got the whitehead to look away and growl an acceptance. "All right, I'll let them know they put in extra cutlery."</em>
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  <em>"I hate that natural skill you have for blackmail," he protested again, reaching out to take his own cup. As soon as he felt Tissaia's body tighten, Geralt realized his mistake in word selection and tried to change the subject, he really was an idiot, "by the way, why did Yen say she owed you her life before?"</em>
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  <em>"It's a long story... I'll tell you and we'll both go back to bed, because it’s Saturday and it’s too early."</em>
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  <em>"Deal," the whitehead shook the woman a little harder and smiled, "but for the record, I'm no longer a little boy and I don't need stories before I go to sleep".  </em>
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  <em>"Don’t you?” This time, Tissaia managed a soft chuckle.</em>
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  <em>With a small smile and a few spoonsful of chocolate, Tissaia told Geralt that Yennefer was the same woman she had believed dead eleven years ago, because of her mistake. She tried not to give him too many details, but enough to make him suspect that something did not fit, for neither the report nor Vilgefortz's version and the nurse had any sense... However, the whitehead decided not to ask any more questions, noticing how her older sister was dragged into sleep, her voice somewhat more serious, her body beginning to relax and her eyes spending more time closed than open. When Geralt offered to take her to bed, Tissaia glared at him and claimed to be perfectly fine; something she showed by picking up her things to return to Yennefer's room in silence. Going back to sleep in the brunette's arms took no more than a couple of minutes, though a small part of her was surprised to notice the way the brunette's limbs surrounded her body, clinging to her to make sure she didn't leave again. Yennefer's reaction to her absence was too tender and made her feel so confident that her mind didn't even get a chance to make her remember her nightmare.</em>
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<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>Yennefer was definitely nervous. Yes, she knew Triss and Tissaia's other teachers and friends, but they had only gathered at once for coffee during one week and both women were pretending to know nothing about each other until the last day; since then, she and Tissaia had not gathered again with the rest, so the brunette was not sure how to proceed once out of college. At least Sabrina was also having her own nervous episode, adjusting the shirt neckline over and over again, as in her case she had not had a chance to be officially introduced to her girlfriend's friend group.</p><p>Triss knocked on the door, which opened almost instantly to result in a rather young woman, about the age of the two <em>newbies</em>, with brown hair and light eyes. The woman was not very tall, though she was thin and had a mischievous expression printed throughout her being.</p><p> </p><p>"Renfri!" Triss set out to hug the young woman, smiling happily.</p><p> </p><p>"Triss," the woman smiled back, hugging her, "I'm glad to see you're still in one piece. And you must be the new ones," Renfri winked at you both, "I'm glad to see you again, sexy".</p><p> </p><p>"Obviously," Yennefer sketched a smile, "although I had hoped there would be more Renfri in Thanedd".</p><p> </p><p>"Auch, my ego," Renfri took a hand to her chest and leaned aside to let them in, "pity that the only new girl who is not my ex is dating Triss," said Renfri without any shame, both eyebrows raised in the direction of Sabrina, who looked at her almost horrified.</p><p> </p><p>"Don't even think about it," Triss gave his friend a gentle push, "get out of here! Go let Keira know we're here."</p><p> </p><p>Renfri raised both hands in an attempt to placate the woman and, laughing, headed for the kitchen to go find the blonde. The apartment was quite spacious and had a living room large enough to accommodate meetings of several people, as was the case with that meal; Philippa was on one of the sofas, sitting next to Coral and another woman with blond hair, the three too immersed in a conversation to pay too much attention to them, at least for the time being.</p><p>Through the door Renfri had entered, Vanielle came out, sketching a broad smile and approaching the three women. First, she hugged Triss, then Yennefer, and finally looked significantly at the first woman, waiting for her to make the official presentations; however, the chestnut waited until a second woman, with blond hair and hazel-colored eyes, approached them too.</p><p> </p><p>"Keira!" Triss approached the blonde, who did not hesitate for a second to hug her with a big smile on her lips.</p><p> </p><p>"I already missed you, it’s been too long," Keira said, smiling with some complicity, "well, keep up with the new members."</p><p> </p><p>"She's Sabrina," Triss turned away to take her girlfriend's hand and looked at the two women with a big smile, "my girlfriend. Brina, this is Keira, Vanielle's wife, and… Well, Vanielle."</p><p> </p><p>"It's a pleasure," Sabrina extended her right hand to the blonde, who shook her enthusiastically, and then to Vanielle, "I'm glad to see you again, professor".</p><p> </p><p>"Yes, I'm going to have to go to Cintra more often," the brunette laughed and surrounded her wife's waist, before looking at Yennefer, "honey, this is Yennefer".</p><p> </p><p>"Rita's assistant? You're much prettier in person," the blonde offered her hand to Yennefer, who didn't hesitate to shake her with a smile.</p><p> </p><p>"I must say the same thing, Vanielle speaks highly of you," the brunette sketched a mischievous smile, looking at the teacher, who opened her eyes with surprise.</p><p> </p><p>"Aw," Keira laughed and leaned towards Vanielle to steal a kiss from her, "that’s why I married her. But please, you all get comfortable, the food will be ready in a little while and we're all here so use your time wisely."</p><p> </p><p>"In that case, I'm going to tell Rita to do something useful and set the table... The last thing we need is for her to fight Fran again," with a little gesture, Vanielle said goodbye to the rest to get back in the kitchen.</p><p> </p><p>"Do you want a glass of wine?" Keira gestured to be followed into the kitchen as well, although she leaned aside when Rita left the room.</p><p> </p><p>Margarita stopped for a moment to look at the three women, smiled at them and then continued on her way to the table, loaded with different cutlery and not saying a single word. Both Triss and Yennefer knew it was dangerous.</p><p> </p><p>"I can't believe everyone here knew you but me," the vet shook her head and approached a countertop to grab three glasses and fill them with wine, before bringing them closer to the three women.</p><p> </p><p>"I promise we'll come more often to make it up to you," Triss used her most adorable smile and intertwined her fingers with Sabrina's, "we're both going to say hello to Phil and Coral, who I thought I saw Ida with".</p><p> </p><p>Triss didn't even give the other women a chance to respond, before dragging her girlfriend out of the kitchen. Keira merely laughed and gestured to Yennefer to follow her to the glass side door of the kitchen, which overlooked the terrace.</p><p> </p><p>"Rita will be back in a minute, don't worry," Keira placed a hand on Yennefer's shoulder, worried that she might feel abandoned by everyone she knew, "you just have to try to survive ten minutes without getting into some stupid argument, which will be really hard with this people".</p><p> </p><p>"Who...?" Yennefer did not finish the question, recognizing Tissaia's voice, while the woman was trying to explain something.</p><p> </p><p>"Just try to follow my advice, it's best not to make direct eye contact," Keira walked through the door first, and after taking a quick look around, decided to approach one  of  the free chairs at the table and sit down.</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer followed her and sat in the closest chair, observing the situation. In front of Tissaia sat Francesca Findabair, Yennefer's mentor during her time working at Thanedd hospital, next to her was Vanielle, who seemed more than exasperated because surely that discussion had been going on for a while, and finally, holding Tissaia's hand and with his head resting on her shoulder, was Renfri, who only enjoyed chaos. Yennefer couldn't help but feel a little pang of jealousy when she saw the woman so close to her girlfriend. She had dated Renfri long enough —years ago— to know that the tricks she was using were not exactly subtle, so it was obvious that she was trying to flirt with Tissaia. However, the brunette did not give her greater importance, aware that if she had not seduced her girlfriend with all the time she had had, she would not do so now. In addition, Tissaia seemed more interested in the conversation than in the young woman.</p><p> </p><p>"Talking about it isn't going to solve it," Vanielle sighed.</p><p> </p><p>"Of course not, but what you have to understand is that the system that Nilfgaard uses is much better and more effective, and the taxes they collect are ridiculous, doctors have no trouble reaching the end of the month as is the case in the rest of the Continent".</p><p> </p><p>"And do you think forcing their system by force is a good solution? You would alter the current structure so much that any kind of balance and control would be lost," Tissaia replied.</p><p> </p><p>"Do you prefer Keira to close her clinic? That no one can afford their treatments and people die for it? That the Chapter continues to make fortune while the rest of the Brotherhood starves?" Francesca struck the table, frustrated.</p><p> </p><p>"Destroying the whole health system overnight is not going to help anyone, nor will it prevent those things from happening either," calm as always, Tissaia took the cup to her lips, "there are other ways, we can convene a meeting and talk about it to each other calmly."</p><p> </p><p>"Gods, you're so sexy when you argue," Renfri smiled and put her most adorable expression to the chestnut.</p><p> </p><p>"We wouldn't have to argue if we could get the Brotherhood to dissolve," Rita rejoined the conversation, taking a seat between Tissaia and Yennefer, "the Lodge is viable and would be much better than anything the Brotherhood does".</p><p> </p><p>"Sure, tell it all in front of two members of the Chapter when one doesn't even listen to logical reasoning,"  Francesca growled.</p><p> </p><p>"You're a member of  the chapter, you're a great friend and someone I want to take her eyes out of, Fran," Rita gave a furious look to the woman, "and I trust Tissaia more than I trust  myself. At least she doesn't agree with what Nilfgaard does to doctors. They've got them almost enslaved!"</p><p> </p><p>"Only the mediocre," Francesca snapped her tongue and laid back in the chair, "I guess that's why you're so worried".</p><p> </p><p>"You know as well as the rest that the only reason Rita doesn't exercise is Stregobor," Vanielle pinched her nose bridge, exhausted.</p><p> </p><p>"That son of a whore and Vilgefortz are always involved in everything", Renfri rubbed her cheek against Tissaia's shoulder, noticing how she had tightened, "are you sure I can't emasculate them?"</p><p> </p><p>"I could leave you the clinic if you're going to geld animals," Keira murmured, participating in the conversation for the first time and causing almost everyone to turn around to look at her. Apparently no one had noticed that she and Yennefer were there.</p><p> </p><p>"We are not emasculating anyone," Vanielle had to take a deep breath and look up, asking for strength and patience.</p><p> </p><p>"Too bad," Francesca sighed, stopping for a moment as she realized how familiar the woman who was sitting between Rita and Keira was, "you... Oh, Vengerberg!"</p><p> </p><p>The surname caused Tissaia's eyes to abandon the veins of the wood from the table to search disguisedly for her girlfriend among all the women present, ignoring how her own factions softened once her eyes met the violet ones. Francesca could get her out of her boxes very easily, but enough not to see Yennefer? That was ridiculous.</p><p> </p><p>"Dr. Findabair, I'm also glad to see you," Yennefer smiled somewhat embarrassed, thanking Keira for the friendly squeeze she gave to her arm to cheer her up.</p><p> </p><p>"Are you still suspended? I could use your hands in the ER and cardio this week," the blonde twisted her lips, disappointed when Yennefer nodded, "someone would have to murder all the Chapter but Tissaia and me".</p><p> </p><p>"Perhaps we should stop thinking about murder and mutilations and go eat lunch," said Vanielle, hopeful.</p><p> </p><p>"Or open another bottle of wine and keep arguing..."</p><p> </p><p>"I refuse to take you home if you drink one more glass of wine," Philippa rested both hands on Rita's shoulders as she stood behind her, as a warning, so the woman snorted and crossed her arms, surrendering, "oh and hello Yen, I hadn't seen you on the way in".</p><p> </p><p>"Hey Phil," whispered the brunette.</p><p> </p><p>"Come on, you all move your butts, we’re going to eat and you know the rules, no politics, work or men at the table," Keira got up first, but the rest soon followed her; first Vanielle, then Francesca, Philippa and Rita.</p><p> </p><p>When Yennefer realized that she had been left alone with Renfri and Tissaia, she disguised a half smile and stood up to go to the kitchen, just as the rest had done. The brunette was fully aware that, with the jeans so tight she wore, her girlfriend would find it almost impossible not to look at her ass. That was definitely a great revenge for all the times she'd had to see Tissaia in pants like that in Cintra, while she was too busy serving drinks and going back and forth, so Yennefer could enjoy the views. Renfri, in addition to appreciating Yennefer's ass in the same way, did not overlook the way the teacher had stared at her ex as she left.</p><p> </p><p>"I thought women ten years younger than you weren't your type," Renfri pouted, earning a dramatic sigh from the other woman.</p><p> </p><p>"And I thought you were going to stop trying to flirt with me now that you don't work in the university anymore".</p><p> </p><p>"Sometimes life is not how we want it," Renfri stood up and took Tissaia's hand to pull from it.</p><p> </p><p>"Indeed".</p><p> </p><p>In the kitchen, Rita and Vanielle were the only two who had stayed with Keira to help her serve the food, so Tissaia stopped in the living room door and gestured Renfri to get out of there while she helped the other three women. The food was served within a few minutes thanks to them, and there were a few free chairs waiting for them already; for that reason, Tissaia didn't even think twice before taking a seat next to Yennefer, deliberately ignoring the one who was free next to Renfri right in front of them. The young woman did not hide her obvious disappointment, although everyone who knew her well enough knew that distance would not prevent her from spending all the lunch trying to flirt with the teacher. Rita sat next to Tissaia and gave her a gentle push with her shoulder that forced her to lean towards the brunette, making Margarita laugh. Tissaia growled and devoted an apology look to her girlfriend, before taking her hand under the table to intertwine her fingers with those of the younger woman.</p><p>The food was much better than Yennefer and Sabrina had expected, so they both took a good time to talk to Keira, while the blonde explained the recipe to them and gave them some advices, with occasional interventions by Coral and Ida —Francesca's only friend and another of the medical professors Stregobor had kicked out of the hospital after disallowing Vilgefortz in an operating room—, who knew a lot about cooking and seemed to enjoy it quite a bit. After that conversation, Philippa insisted about Triss and Sabrina telling them how they had met, disappointed by the lack of 'drama' of that story, but taking the opportunity to ask them about all kind of sexual details in compensation, which caused Triss to spend more time blushing and trying to sink into the chair than eating.</p><p> </p><p>"Phil, leave her alone. Now," Tissaia spoke quietly, but it was enough for the brunette to sigh dramatically and obey.</p><p> </p><p>"You can't always defend her," Philippa added, before drinking some wine, "and now you're going to have to tell me about your sex life to make up for it".</p><p> </p><p>"And why don't you tell us about yours?" Tissaia smirked back.</p><p> </p><p>"Why? Interested in joining? I'm sure we could find room for two more in bed..."</p><p> </p><p>That caused Rita to turn to look at her friend with a raised eyebrow and her best seductive expression. Tissaia, giving a gentle squeeze to Yennefer's hand, which she still held under the table, without anyone noticing, tilted her head.</p><p> </p><p>"The truth is, no, you'd have to convince us if you’re so interested in new additions".</p><p> </p><p>"Oh, no, not that again," Triss whispered, making Keira and Coral laugh about it.</p><p> </p><p>"Hey! It's not nice to sneak in, I was first as Tissaia's suitor," Renfri fulminated Rita and Philippa with a glare.</p><p> </p><p>"And so began the fifth world war," Francesca murmured, exasperated.</p><p> </p><p>"I’m picking up the table," Ida was the fastest, but seeing the pout Triss was putting on her, she rolled her eyes, "okay, Merigold, give me a hand".</p><p> </p><p>Yennefer and Sabrina had no idea what was interesting about picking up the table so that there was a kind of competition, but when violet eyes returned to Keira and Vanielle, recognizing the same expressions that the women had during the discussion of the terrace, Yennefer was able to deduce the reason. However, Tissaia did not allow the situation to get out of control that time, simply by leaning back into the chair and looking at the three women involved, caressing the back of Yennefer’s hand with her thumb.</p><p> </p><p>"The truth is, I don't feel like any foursome right now, so you can all keep queuing again... But if I were you, I'd take a chair or you'd run out of legs waiting," the chestnut winked at her best friend and then looked at Sabrina, "Brina, can you help me make something to drink?"</p><p> </p><p>The young woman nodded and stood up to follow Tissaia, who had risen and walked to the kitchen, without even stopping at the question of one of the other women.</p><p> </p><p>"Wait, have you met Sabrina yet?" Francesca frowned, disappointed, "that takes away all the fun, I wanted to see how you hated your daughter-in-law... Tell me you at least don’t get along and entertain us."</p><p> </p><p>"Don't be silly, Fran, no one can get along with Tissaia, it's unnatural," Renfri smiled.</p><p> </p><p>"They get along very well," Yennefer interceded, ignoring the way Vanielle smiled sideways.</p><p> </p><p>"How do you know?" Renfri crossed her arms.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm still living with Sabrina and Jaskier, I know things".</p><p> </p><p>"And you got Tissaia to go to that dump? Wow, then baby Triss must be really serious".</p><p> </p><p>Keira encouraged them to move from the table to the sofas to talk and take whatever Sabrina and Tissaia were preparing, as they would be more comfortable and safer, in case the drink was too strong. Since there were not too many places, Margarita took the opportunity to pull Philippa and make her sit on her lap, while Vanielle sat on the armrests of one of the sofas, next to Keira. As soon as Triss returned, Renfri did not hesitate to ask her how she had managed to get her mother and girlfriend to get along and not try to kill themselves at every family dinner. The chestnut just looked down, embarrassed, not knowing how to answer the questions, because it was something that had happened before Tissaia knew that the Sabrina who worked at Cintra was her girlfriend, so she had no answer to give to Renfri. Fortunately, the blonde soon joined them, leaving some drinks in front of the table, and sat next to Triss, in the last free spot.</p><p> </p><p>"I didn't do anything, she seemed to like me from the beginning," Sabrina smiled, "and I just needed to get to know her."</p><p> </p><p>"And drink with me," Tissaia added, leaving the remaining drinks on the table.</p><p> </p><p>"And drink with you," the blonde agreed, "although I prefer to make cocktails with you."</p><p> </p><p>"Shit, Tissaia, we've not left you somewhere to sit," Ida murmured as she realized, "too many additions in one day".</p><p> </p><p>"Don't worry, as long as I have a face, Tissaia will always have a place to sit".</p><p> </p><p>"Renfri!" The chestnut raised both eyebrows in reproach, making the young woman laugh, "you are incorrigible..." Tissaia shook her head, taking two of the glasses, "don't worry, Ida, there’s no problem. I do have where to sit".</p><p> </p><p>"And you are beautiful," Renfri smiled with fake innocence as she watched Tissaia take two of the cups. However, she could only frown when, instead of approaching her, the woman was walking to the couch where Triss, Sabrina and Yennefer were seated.</p><p> </p><p>"Here you go, love," Tissaia offered Yennefer one of the drinks and then sat on her lap, causing the cheeks of the brunette to be stained with a red hue that showed much more than she would have like. For the question, Tissaia only whispered, "you okay?"</p><p> </p><p>"Thank you," Yennefer murmured as she took the glass, smiling with some shame, "I am, though I was confident that I could get rid of the interrogation".</p><p> </p><p>"I'm offended that you doubt my girls' abilities after having experienced mine firsthand," whispered Tissaia, with mocking expression. Only Yennefer could hear it, but that did not prevent the eyes of Keira, Ida and Francesca from being drawn in the direction of the couple, for Renfri's had not abandoned Tissaia for a single moment, too surprised to say anything.</p><p> </p><p>"Wow, what would your mother say if she heard you say things like that?"</p><p> </p><p>"Considering he talks to you more than to me, you tell me that," the comment made Yennefer laugh, who couldn't be happier after the kiss the chestnut left on her cheek right after.</p><p> </p><p>Renfri let out a little incensed cry, while Francesca, Ida and Keira stared at them with different levels of surprise, while all the others did not give it greater importance. Triss and Sabrina were used to seeing them being adorable, Vanielle, Rita, Philippa and Coral had already seen them kiss in Tissaia's office and had heard the story a couple of times, so it didn't take them by surprise to see the chestnut being so close to someone, laughing or even whispering things that it was better not to think too much about.</p><p> </p><p>"You didn't tell me that Tissaia's girlfriend was Rita's assistant!" Keira turned to look at Vanielle, outraged.</p><p> </p><p>"Girlfriend?!" Francesca looked at Keira and then the couple.</p><p> </p><p>"Excuse me?!" Renfri opened her mouth, not knowing what else to say, Renfri.exe had definitely stopped working.</p><p> </p><p>Ida tried to hide a half smile behind her drink, merely observing the chaos around her, noticing how Rita and Philippa did the same. Wow, apparently all the physics teachers and Margarita were aware of what was going on; that was an unfair information advantage, but she couldn't blame them, the group reaction was worthy.</p><p>Tissaia found a better position on top of Yennefer, relaxing only when the brunette wrapped her waist with both arms, even if that meant she couldn't drink in the meantime... And she was going to need that drink. Tissaia had realized how Renfri looked at her girlfriend and how she seemed to be bothered by almost everything she did, so he didn't need to be a genius to know that something had happened between the two women at some point. With a sigh, the woman carried one of her hands to which Yennefer had free, to intertwine her fingers with her own at waist level.</p><p> </p><p>"Keira, Fran, Ida, Renfri," Tissaia smiled, holding her poise in any circumstance, "this is Yennefer, my girlfriend".</p><p> </p><p>"I can't believe you didn't tell me anything!" Keira looked around, searching for a cushion to throw at her, but found nothing.</p><p> </p><p>"I thought about doing it, but I didn't get a chance," Tissaia muttered with some guilt, "and I didn't want to steal their moment of glory from Sabrina and Triss."</p><p> </p><p>"Oh, and you weren't going to tell us just to not steal them? What a good mother," Francesca crossed her arms.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm telling you now, don't be dramatic, Fran".</p><p> </p><p>"You could have said something to me!" Renfri snorted outragedly, "do you know how ugly it is to flirt with your ex's girlfriend?"</p><p> </p><p>That question caused everyone to be stunned except Sabrina, Yennefer, Triss and Tissaia.</p><p> </p><p>"Much," said Yennefer, who had only been controlling herself due to Tissaia's proximity, as Renfri's attempts had become increasingly brazen, especially from half the meal onwards. Tissaia squeezed her hand affectionately and shook her head, "but don't worry, it's normal that you like her, she's beautiful, smart, witty and perfect," the brunette left a kiss on Tissaia's shoulder, taking advantage of everyone being too surprised to react, now to keep going, "of course, you won't have to worry about whether she needs a seat anymore, I'll take care of that".</p><p> </p><p>Both had to offer quite a few explanations regarding their relationship, as there were still four people who had not heard about it and were more than interested—including Renfri, that even disappointed and annoyed that Yennefer had managed to win Tissaia over when she could not, she was very curious about how she had achieved it—, but after that story, Renfri and Yennefer had to make a brief summary of the two-year relationship they had had during the early years of college, since they met at a party, and how they had both decided to break up because they felt nothing but sexual attraction to each other. Between conversations and information revelations, the afternoon progressed and by the time the first of the women thought about checking what time it was, it already was six o'clock in the afternoon, something that altered them all equally and led them to rush to pick everything up and clean —they didn't plan to leave all the work to Vanielle and Keira—, and gradually leave. Philippa dragged Rita home, arguing that they had a lot of work to do and that the sooner they finished, the sooner she could check the resistance of her girlfriend's bed; Francesca wanted to rest for a while before her shift at the hospital and Ida claimed to have several tests to correct, so she followed her seconds later. Renfri, Triss and Sabrina decided it was a good day to go bowling and think about Stregobor's face as their target —something the remaining women applauded, even when they convinced Coral to go with them— so, within a few minutes, there was only  Vanielle, Keira, Tissaia and Yennefer left.</p><p>Vanielle surrounded her wife's waist and rested her head on her shoulder, with a small smile on her lips as she looked at the chestnut.</p><p> </p><p>"It hasn't gone so badly".</p><p> </p><p>"No, but I'm worried about Renfri," Tissaia said, emptying her glass on a sip, "she's been flirting with us for too many years," Yennefer couldn't help but tighten her grip around the woman a little when she heard that.</p><p> </p><p>"With you?" The young woman raised both eyebrows, surprised.</p><p> </p><p>"Oh, yes, I had to have a very serious talk with her to stop insinuating herself to my wife," Keira said with a grimaced expression.</p><p> </p><p>"And it was one of the sexiest things in the world," her wife said, trying to comfort her, before returning her attention to the other two, "anyway, I'm sure next time everything will be less embarrassing".</p><p> </p><p>"Don't lie to the poor thing like that," Tissaia shook her head, making Keira laugh about it.</p><p> </p><p>"But it will be a matter of time before she gets used to it," the blonde winked at her, before laughing again.</p><p> </p><p>For the first time since she met Tissaia, Yennefer was glad her cell phone started ringing when they were together, because she didn't know exactly what to answer to that. The lunch had been very strange, as were the topics of conversation, besides delicate and quite embarrassing; how Triss could remain so pure after meeting with that group of women, was a mystery beyond human understanding... Although Yennefer was sure it wouldn't take her too long to get used to that kind of dynamic, just as Sabrina would be getting used in her own way.</p><p> </p><p>"Excuse me," offered the brunette, before picking up and smiling as she heard the voice on the other side, standing up, she walked away a little bit from the three women, who continued to speak with total peace of mind, "good night beautiful, of course you never bother me," Yennefer listened in silence, trying to hide a smile, "perfect, I'll tell her... Yes, that too... And no, nothing to see, we're at Vanielle's... Okay, see you tomorrow."</p><p> </p><p>When Yennefer returned to the couch and sat next to Tissaia, she sketched an adorable smile that made the woman frown, suddenly worried about whatever she was trying to hide from her.</p><p> </p><p>"Yenna..." The chestnut squinted her eyes, "you're going to tell me who you were flirting with on the phone?"</p><p> </p><p>"Your mother wants to know if you're going to sleep there tonight and she asked me to  tell you to stop by the store to buy wine, and that Nenneke won't be there because she has business to attend to," the brunette finally relented.</p><p> </p><p>"Why can't she just call <em>me</em>?" Defeated, Tissaia leaned towards the brunette and closed her eyes.</p><p> </p><p>"Because she loves me and because I lift up her ego," the young woman said.</p><p> </p><p>"I can't believe Yennefer has already won Adalia's favor," Vanielle was fascinated and kept smiling.</p><p> </p><p>"I think the right expression is that mom replaced me," with a pout, the chestnut looked at her girlfriend, who decided that the best thing to do was to kiss her.</p><p> </p><p>"Never, I'm just the coolest of all her daughters-in-law".</p><p> </p><p>They all laughed at that and Keira rested her head on her wife's shoulder, really happy to see the other two women so happy together. If she was honest, she had never seen Tissaia like that, despite all the years that they had known each other, so she was very happy that she had a chance to be happy —Vanielle had told her some of her lightest problems with Vilgefortz, so she really loved being able to see them together and to know that it meant that sooner or later Tissaia would leave him and divorce.</p>
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